Shloka 60
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
श्रीझ्वाच स शक्रो ब्रह्मचारी यस्त्वत्तश्नैवोपशिक्षित: । त्रैलोक्ये ते यदैश्वर्य तत् तेनापह्तं प्रभो
śrīr uvāca—sa śakro brahmacārī yas tvattaś caivopaśikṣitaḥ | trailokye te yada aiśvaryaṃ tat tena apahṛtaṃ prabho ||
श्री (लक्ष्मी) म्हणाली—“प्रभो! ज्याला तू उपदेश दिलास, तो ब्रह्मचारी ब्राह्मण प्रत्यक्ष शक्र (इंद्र)च होता. तीनही लोकांत पसरलेले तुझे ऐश्वर्य त्यानेच हिरावून नेले.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly sovereignty and prosperity (aiśvarya/śrī) are not permanent possessions; they can be withdrawn when pride, complacency, or a lapse in dharma arises. The verse underscores ethical vigilance and humility: even a seemingly ordinary brahmacārī may be a divine test, and one’s greatness is measured by steadfast conduct rather than by external fortune.
Lakṣmī reveals the true identity of a brahmacārī whom the addressed ‘Lord’ had instructed: he was actually Indra (Śakra) in disguise. Having received instruction, Indra then ‘took away’ the Lord’s widespread three-world sovereignty—signalling a reversal of fortune and the transfer/withdrawal of power as part of a divine or moral reckoning.