Shloka 65

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

Sumitra Itihāsa Begins

Devanagari script

धृतराष्ट उवाच सोपायं पूर्वमुद्दिष्ट प्रहादेन महात्मना । संक्षेपेण तु शीलस्य शुणु प्राप्तिं नरेश्वर

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | sopāyaṁ pūrvam uddiṣṭaṁ prahrādena mahātmanā | saṁkṣepeṇa tu śīlasya śṛṇu prāptiṁ nareśvara |

Translation

持国说道：“噫，国王！关于 śīla（善行、品格）的性质与获得之道，大心的普罗诃罗陀早已讲明。如今且听我略说其切实可行的修得之法。”

Word by Word

• {'dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra said', 'sopāyam': 'together with the means

• with the method', 'pūrvam': 'earlier

• previously', 'uddiṣṭam': 'taught

• explained', 'prahrādena': 'by Prahrāda (instrumental case)', 'mahātmanā': 'by the great-souled one

• noble-minded (instrumental case)', 'saṁkṣepeṇa': 'briefly

• in summary', 'tu': 'but

• indeed (contrast/emphasis)', 'śīlasya': 'of śīla

• of good conduct/character', 'śṛṇu': 'hear

• listen', 'prāptim': 'attainment

• acquisition', 'nareśvara': 'O lord of men

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Prahrāda
• nareśvara (the king addressed)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That true character (śīla) is not merely defined in theory; it has a practical method of attainment. Dhṛtarāṣṭra signals a concise, actionable instruction on how one acquires ethical conduct, building on Prahrāda’s earlier exposition.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra begins a short instructional passage: he acknowledges that Prahrāda has already explained both the nature of śīla and the means to reach it, and he now proposes to restate—briefly—the method for attaining śīla to the king he is addressing.