Shloka 1
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
ऑपन-माजल छा जि: चतुर्विशर्त्याधेकशततमो< ध्याय: इन्द्र हि अप प्रह्नादकी कथा--शीलका प्रभाव
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | ime janā naraśreṣṭha praśaṃsanti sadā bhuvi | dharmasya śīlam evādau tato me saṃśayo mahān ||
Sinabi ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O pinakamainam sa mga tao, Pitāmaha! Ang mga tao sa buong daigdig na ito ay laging pumupuri, una sa lahat, sa śīla—mabuting asal at wastong pag-uugali—bilang saligan ng dharma. Dahil dito, isang malaking pag-aalinlangan ang sumibol sa aking isipan.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames śīla (good conduct/character) as the commonly acknowledged starting point of dharma, prompting a philosophical inquiry into why conduct is treated as dharma’s foundation.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses an elder authority (“best of men”) and raises a doubt: since people praise conduct first when speaking of dharma, he seeks clarification about the true basis and hierarchy of virtues.