Shloka 124
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
भीष्मजी कहते हैं--कुन्तीनन्दन! राजा धृतराष्ट्रने अपने पुत्रको यह उपदेश दिया था। तुम भी इसका आचरण करो, इससे तुम्हें भी वही फल प्राप्त होगा ।। इति श्रीमहा भारते शान्तिपर्वणि राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वणि शीलवर्णनं नाम चतुर्विशत्यधिकशततमो<ध्याय:
bhīṣma uvāca—kuntīnandana! rājā dhṛtarāṣṭreṇa svaputrāya eṣa upadeśaḥ dattaḥ. tvam api asya ācaraṇaṃ kuru; anena tvam api tad eva phalaṃ prāpsyasi. iti śrīmahābhārate śāntiparvaṇi rājadharmānuśāsanaparvaṇi śīlavarṇanaṃ nāma caturviṃśatyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ.
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai putera Kuntī! Raja Dhṛtarāṣṭra pernah menyampaikan nasihat yang sama ini kepada puteranya. Engkau juga hendaklah mengamalkannya; dengan demikian engkau akan memperoleh buah yang sama.” Demikianlah, dalam Mahābhārata, pada Śānti Parva, dalam bahagian ajaran dharma raja, berakhir bab bernama ‘Huraian tentang Sīla (akhlak/tingkah laku)’, iaitu bab ke-124.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma emphasizes that ethical instruction is not merely to be heard but to be practiced (ācaraṇa). By embodying the counsel—especially in the context of rajadharma and śīla—Yudhishthira will gain the same beneficial ‘fruit’ that such conduct yields.
At the close of the chapter on śīla (good conduct) within the Rajadharma instruction of the Shanti Parva, Bhishma tells Yudhishthira that this counsel was earlier given by Dhritarashtra to his own son, and urges Yudhishthira to adopt it in practice to attain its results.