Shloka 33
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
पृष्टश्न तेन बहुशः प्राप्त कथमनुत्तमम् । त्रैलोक्यराज्यं धर्मज्ञ कारणं तद् ब्रवीहि मे । प्रह्दोडपि महाराज ब्राह्मणं वाक्यमब्रवीत्
pṛṣṭaś ca tena bahuśaḥ prāptaṁ katham anuttamam | trailokya-rājyaṁ dharmajña kāraṇaṁ tad bravīhi me | prahlādo 'pi mahārāja brāhmaṇaṁ vākyam abravīt |
त्याने वारंवार विचारून म्हटले—“धर्मज्ञ! तुम्हाला त्रैलोक्याचे हे अनुपम राज्य कसे प्राप्त झाले? त्याचे कारण मला सांगा.” तेव्हा, हे महाराज, प्रह्लादानेही ब्राह्मणास असे उत्तर दिले.
घतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical inquiry: supreme power (trailokya-rājya) is not treated as accidental but as having a discernible cause rooted in dharma, inviting reflection on how righteousness and conduct relate to authority and success.
A speaker repeatedly asks a dharma-knower how he attained unsurpassed rule over the three worlds and requests the reason; the narrative then shifts to Prahlāda, who addresses the brāhmaṇa, continuing the instructional dialogue.