Shloka 5
Āśā-prabhava (आशाप्रभव) — On the Rise and Power of Hope/Expectation
Sumitra Itihāsa Begins
इन्द्रप्रस्थे महाराज तव सभ्रातृकस्य ह । सभायां चाह वचन तत् सर्व शृणु भारत
indraprasthe mahārāja tava sabhrātṛkasya ha | sabhāyāṃ cāha vacana tat sarvaṃ śṛṇu bhārata ||
毗湿摩说道：“噢，大王！在因陀罗城（Indraprastha）——当你与诸弟同在之时——王廷大会中曾有人发言。噢，婆罗多啊，请听我将那段始末尽数道来。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames ethical instruction through reliable recollection: Bhishma grounds his counsel in a remembered public statement made in a royal assembly, emphasizing that dharma and policy are best understood through attentive listening to authoritative testimony and precedent.
Bhishma begins to recount an earlier incident from Indraprastha, when Yudhishthira was with his brothers in the assembly hall. He invites the king to hear the full account of what was said there, setting up a longer teaching or example.