Shloka 7
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
भीष्मजीने कहा--दूसरोंको मान देनेवाले महाराज! भरतनन्दन! पहले इन्द्रप्रस्थमें (राजसूययज्ञके समय) भाइयोंसहित तुम्हारी वैसी अदभुत श्री-सम्पत्ति
bhīṣma uvāca—parān mānayitā rājan bharatanandana! pūrvam indraprasthe rājasūyayajñasamaye bhrātṛbhiḥ sārdhaṃ tava tādṛśīm adbhutāṃ śrī-sampattiṃ, sā parama-uttamā sabhāṃ ca samṛddhiṃ ca dṛṣṭvā santapto duryodhanaḥ kaurava-sabhāyāṃ niṣaṇṇaḥ pituḥ dhṛtarāṣṭrasya gāḍhāṃ cintāṃ prakaṭayām āsa—sarvāṃ manovyathāṃ kathayām āsa. sabhāyāṃ sa yad avadat tat sarvaṃ śṛṇu. śrutvā hi dhṛtarāṣṭro duryodhana-vacas tadā, abravīt karṇa-sahitaṃ duryodhanam idaṃ vacaḥ.
Bhishma disse: “Ó rei que honra os outros, ó alegria da linhagem de Bharata! Outrora, em Indraprastha, durante o sacrifício do Rajasuya, Duryodhana ardeu por dentro ao ver o teu esplendor régio assombroso com os teus irmãos — a tua sala de assembleia, suprema entre todas, e a tua prosperidade. Sentado na corte dos Kuru, revelou ao seu pai, Dhritarashtra, a sua profunda inquietação, expondo todo o tormento da mente. Agora ouvi tudo o que ele disse naquela assembleia. Pois então Dhritarashtra, tendo escutado as palavras de Duryodhana, dirigiu-se a Duryodhana — juntamente com Karna — nestes termos.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how envy and wounded pride arise from comparing oneself to another’s prosperity, and how such inner agitation—if indulged—spills into public counsel and political decisions, becoming a seed of wider conflict. It implicitly commends the opposite disposition: honoring others and remaining steady amid others’ success.
Bhishma frames a flashback: after seeing the Pandavas’ grandeur at Indraprastha during the Rajasuya, Duryodhana becomes distressed and, in the Kuru court, confides his anxiety to Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra then responds to Duryodhana in the presence of Karna.