Shloka 62
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
धर्म: सत्यं तथा वृत्तं बल॑ं चैव तथाप्यहम् । शीलमूला महाप्राज्ञ सदा नास्त्यत्र संशय:
dharmaḥ satyaṃ tathā vṛttaṃ balaṃ caiva tathāpy aham | śīlamūlā mahāprājña sadā nāsty atra saṃśayaḥ ||
バラモンは言った。「ダルマ、真実、正しい行い、力――そしてこの私（ラクシュミー、繁栄）さえも――それらはすべて、つねに品性（śīla）に依って立つ。おお大賢者よ、品性こそがそれらの根である。ここに疑いはない。」
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
That śīla (character/ethical disposition) is the foundation of all higher goods—dharma, truthfulness, good conduct, strength, and even prosperity. Without character, these cannot remain stable or genuine.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, a Brahmin addresses a ‘great wise one’ and delivers a moral maxim: the enduring basis of virtue and success is śīla, and this point is asserted as beyond doubt.