Shloka 1
आशा-कृशता उपाख्यानम्
The Episode on the Emaciation Caused by Hope
भीकम (2 अमान पजञ्चविशर्त्याधिकशततमो< ध्याय: युधिष्ठिरका आशाविषयक प्रश्न--उत्तरमें राजा सुमित्र और ऋषभ नामक ऋषिके इतिहासका आरम्भ
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
śīlaṁ pradhānaṁ puruṣe kathitaṁ te pitāmaha |
kathaṁ tv āśā samutpannā yā cāśā tad vadasva me ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Avô, declaraste que a boa conduta (śīla) é a qualidade suprema numa pessoa. Diz-me agora: como surgiu a ‘esperança’ (āśā)? O que é, em essência, a esperança? Peço-te que mo expliques.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical hierarchy: Yudhiṣṭhira accepts that śīla (moral character) is primary, and then probes āśā (hope/expectation) as a powerful inner force that can support dharma or distort it. The teaching setup is that understanding the origin and nature of hope is necessary for self-governance and ethical living.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma (addressed as Pitāmaha). After hearing that good conduct is paramount, he asks a follow-up philosophical question: how hope arises and what it truly is, inviting Bhīṣma to begin a deeper explanation (which the chapter proceeds to develop).