Shloka 7
आशा-कृशता उपाख्यानम्
The Episode on the Emaciation Caused by Hope
राजन! मैं आशाको वृक्षसहित पर्वतसे भी बहुत बड़ी मानता हूँ अथवा वह आकाशसे भी बढ़कर अप्रमेय है ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | rājan, ahaṃ āśāṃ vṛkṣasahitāt parvatād api bahutarīṃ manye, athavā sā ākāśād api bṛhatī aprameyā | eṣā caiva kuruśreṣṭha durvicintyā sudurlabhā | durlabhatvāc ca paśyāmi kim anyad durlabhaṃ tataḥ ||
ຢຸທິສຖິຣະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ, ຂ້ານັບຖືຄວາມຫວັງໃຫຍ່ກວ່າພູທີ່ມີຕົ້ນໄມ້ປົກຄຸມ; ມັນກວ້າງໃຫຍ່ກວ່າຟ້າ—ເກີນຈະວັດໄດ້. ໂອ ຜູ້ປະເສີດແຫ່ງກຸຣຸ, ຄວາມຫວັງນີ້ຍາກຈະຄິດຄຳນວນ ແລະຍາກຈະຄອບຄອງຢ່າງຍິ່ງ; ມັນຍາກຈະເອົາຊະນະ. ເພາະມັນລື່ນໄຫຼ ແລະບໍ່ງ່າຍຈະປະລາບ, ຂ້າຈຶ່ງເຫັນມັນໃຫຍ່ຫຼວງປານນັ້ນ. ແທ້ແລ້ວ ມີສິ່ງໃດທີ່ຍາກຈະໄດ້ມາ ຫຼືຍາກຈະປະລາບ ເທົ່າກັບຄວາມຫວັງ?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hope (āśā) is portrayed as immeasurable and extremely difficult to overcome; ethical steadiness requires recognizing how expectation and longing can dominate the mind, and cultivating self-mastery rather than being driven by endless anticipation.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king/elder as he reflects on inner obstacles to peace; he uses striking comparisons (mountain, sky) to argue that hope is the most elusive and unconquerable force among human tendencies.