Shloka 4
आशा-कृशता उपाख्यानम्
The Episode on the Emaciation Caused by Hope
सर्वस्याशा सुमहती पुरुषस्योपजायते । तस्यां विहन्यमानायां दु:खो मृत्युर्न संशय:,प्रायः सभी मनुष्योंके हृदयमें कोई-न-कोई बड़ी आशा पैदा होती ही है। उसके भंग होनेपर महान् दुःख होता है। किसी-किसीकी मृत्युतक हो जाती है, इसमें संशय नहीं है
sarvasyāśā sumahatī puruṣasyopajāyate | tasyāṁ vihanyamānāyāṁ duḥkho mṛtyur na saṁśayaḥ ||
ユディシュティラは言った。「人の心には、必ずや何らかの大いなる望みが生まれる。その望みが打ち砕かれると、深い悲嘆が後に続く。さらにある者にとっては、それが死にまで至る—このことに疑いはない。」
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hope (āśā) powerfully shapes human life; when it is frustrated or destroyed, it can produce intense suffering, even to the point of death. The verse warns about the peril of excessive dependence on expectations and implicitly supports steadiness and detachment.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective instruction on dharma and the causes of suffering, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks about the universal rise of strong hopes in people and the grave consequences when those hopes are broken.