Shloka 4
आशा-कृशता उपाख्यानम्
The Episode on the Emaciation Caused by Hope
सर्वस्याशा सुमहती पुरुषस्योपजायते । तस्यां विहन्यमानायां दु:खो मृत्युर्न संशय:
sarvasyāśā sumahatī puruṣasyopajāyate | tasyāṁ vihanyamānāyāṁ duḥkho mṛtyur na saṁśayaḥ ||
尤提希提罗说道：“在每个人心中，总会不可避免地生起某种极大的希望。当那希望被击碎，深重的悲苦便随之而来；而对有些人而言，甚至会以死亡告终——对此毫无疑问。”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hope (āśā) powerfully shapes human life; when it is frustrated or destroyed, it can produce intense suffering, even to the point of death. The verse warns about the peril of excessive dependence on expectations and implicitly supports steadiness and detachment.
In the Śānti Parva’s reflective instruction on dharma and the causes of suffering, Yudhiṣṭhira speaks about the universal rise of strong hopes in people and the grave consequences when those hopes are broken.