Shloka 47
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
तमपृच्छन्महाकायं प्रह्ाद: को भवानिति । प्रत्याहतं तु शीलो$स्मि त्यक्तो गच्छाम्यहं त्वया,प्रह्नमादने उस विशालकाय पुरुषसे पूछा--'आप कौन हैं?” उसने उत्तर दिया--“मैं शील हूँ। तुमने मुझे त्याग दिया है, इसलिये मैं जा रहा हूँ”
tam apṛcchan mahākāyaṃ prahlādaḥ ko bhavān iti | pratyāha taṃ tu śīlo 'smi tyakto gacchāmy ahaṃ tvayā ||
Prahlāda bertanya kepada makhluk bertubuh besar itu, “Siapakah engkau?” Yang lain menjawab, “Akulah Śīla (budi pekerti yang baik). Oleh sebab engkau telah meninggalkan aku, maka aku pun akan pergi daripadamu.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Śīla (good conduct) is portrayed as a living companion of a person: when one abandons ethical discipline and character, virtue itself ‘departs,’ implying that inner moral qualities are sustained only through continued commitment and practice.
Prahlāda encounters a gigantic figure and asks his identity. The figure reveals himself to be Śīla—good conduct—and declares that he is leaving because Prahlāda has given him up, dramatizing the loss of virtue as an actual separation.