Shloka 6
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
भवततस्तां सभां दृष्टवा समृद्धि चाप्यनुत्तमाम् । दुर्योधनस्तदा55सीन: सर्व पित्रे न्यवेदयत्
bhavataḥ tāṃ sabhāṃ dṛṣṭvā samṛddhiṃ cāpy anuttamām | duryodhanas tadā āsīnaḥ sarvaṃ pitre nyavedayat ||
भवतः तां सभां दृष्ट्वा समृद्धिं चाप्यनुत्तमाम्। दुर्योधनस्तदा आसीनः सर्वं पित्रे न्यवेदयत्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical pivot: witnessing another’s prosperity and excellence can lead to constructive reflection or to corrosive comparison. The act of ‘reporting to the father’ underscores how perceptions are carried into counsel and policy, shaping future choices and their moral consequences.
Bhīṣma narrates that Duryodhana, after seeing the (Pandava-associated) splendid assembly hall and its extraordinary prosperity, sat and conveyed the entire matter to his father Dhṛtarāṣṭra—setting the stage for reactions and decisions driven by what he has just witnessed.