Shloka 14
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
घतयादट्र उवाच यदीच्छसि श्रियं तात यादृशी सा युधिष्छिरे । विशिष्टां वा नरव्यात्र शीलवान् भव पुत्रक
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | yad icchasi śriyaṃ tāta yādṛśī sā yudhiṣṭhire | viśiṣṭāṃ vā naravyāghra śīlavān bhava putraka ||
ਧ੍ਰਿਤਰਾਸ਼ਟਰ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ— ਪੁੱਤਰ! ਨਰਵਿਆਘ੍ਰ! ਜੇ ਤੂੰ ਯੁਧਿਸ਼ਠਿਰ ਵਰਗੀ—ਜਾਂ ਉਸ ਤੋਂ ਵੀ ਉੱਤਮ—ਰਾਜ-ਲਕਸ਼ਮੀ ਚਾਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈਂ, ਤਾਂ ਸ਼ੀਲਵਾਨ ਬਣ।
घतयादट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
True and lasting royal prosperity is grounded in śīla—good character and disciplined conduct. The verse links external success (śrī/rajyalakṣmī) to inner ethical formation rather than mere power or inheritance.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction-oriented setting, Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses his son affectionately and urges him to cultivate good conduct if he wishes to attain prosperity comparable to (or greater than) Yudhiṣṭhira’s—implicitly holding up Yudhiṣṭhira as a model of dharmic kingship.