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 ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra nói: “Con ta, hỡi bậc hùng dũng như hổ giữa loài người! Nếu con mong phú quý như Yudhiṣṭhira—hoặc một vương vận còn cao quý hơn—thì hãy trở thành người có hạnh kiểm tốt.”
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.