Shloka 60

Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation

Sumitra Itihāsa Begins

Devanagari script

श्रीझ्वाच स शक्रो ब्रह्मचारी यस्त्वत्तश्नैवोपशिक्षित: । त्रैलोक्ये ते यदैश्वर्य तत्‌ तेनापह्तं प्रभो

Transliteration

śrīr uvāca—sa śakro brahmacārī yas tvattaś caivopaśikṣitaḥ | trailokye te yada aiśvaryaṃ tat tena apahṛtaṃ prabho ||

Translation

Śrī (Lakṣmī) nói: “Thưa Chúa thượng, vị học trò giữ phạm hạnh mà chính ngài đã dạy bảo, kỳ thực là Śakra (Indra) giả dạng một Bà-la-môn. Ôi Chúa thượng, quyền uy và vinh quang vốn lan khắp ba cõi như thuộc về ngài—chính hắn đã mang đi.”

Word by Word

• श्रीः: Lakṣmī (Fortune)
• श्रीः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्री
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ब्रह्मचारी: a celibate student (brahmacārin)
• ब्रह्मचारी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्वत्तः: from you
• त्वत्तः: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• एव: indeed/just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• उपशिक्षितः: instructed/taught
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-शिक्ष्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• त्रैलोक्ये: in the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रैलोक्य
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• ते: your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: त्वद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• ऐश्वर्यम्: sovereignty/power
• ऐश्वर्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐश्वर्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• अपहृतम्: taken away/removed
• Type: Verb
• Root: अप-हृ
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• प्रभो: O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

ब्राह्मण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī (Lakṣmī)
• Śakra (Indra)
• brahmacārī (celibate student in brāhmaṇa guise)
• trailokya (the three worlds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Worldly sovereignty and prosperity (aiśvarya/śrī) are not permanent possessions; they can be withdrawn when pride, complacency, or a lapse in dharma arises. The verse underscores ethical vigilance and humility: even a seemingly ordinary brahmacārī may be a divine test, and one’s greatness is measured by steadfast conduct rather than by external fortune.

What is happening in the narrative?

Lakṣmī reveals the true identity of a brahmacārī whom the addressed ‘Lord’ had instructed: he was actually Indra (Śakra) in disguise. Having received instruction, Indra then ‘took away’ the Lord’s widespread three-world sovereignty—signalling a reversal of fortune and the transfer/withdrawal of power as part of a divine or moral reckoning.