Shloka 10
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
शत्रुनगरीपर विजय पानेवाले वीर! तुमने भी तो महान् ऐश्वर्य प्राप्त किया है? तुम्हारे समस्त भाई, मित्र और सम्बन्धी सदा तुम्हारी सेवामें उपस्थित रहते हैं ।।
ācchādayasi prāvārān aśnāsi piśitāudanam | ājāneyā vahanty aśvāḥ kenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
ドリタラーシュトラは問うた。「敵の城邑を征する勇士よ、汝もまた大いなる富と権勢を得たではないか。兄弟も友も縁者も、常に汝に仕えている。汝は上等の衣をまとい、肉と飯の豊かな食を口にし、良種の馬が汝の車を曳く。それなのに、なぜ顔色は青ざめ、身はやせ細ってゆくのだ。」
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
External prosperity—fine clothing, rich food, and royal conveyance—cannot remove inner torment. The verse points to the moral-psychological truth emphasized in Śānti Parva: adharma, grief, or remorse can consume a person even amid abundance.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses a victorious warrior (contextually, a figure who has gained power and comforts after conflict) and wonders why he appears pallid and emaciated despite enjoying royal luxuries and constant support from relatives and allies.