Shloka 6

आशा-कृशता उपाख्यानम्

The Episode on the Emaciation Caused by Hope

Devanagari script

आशा मद त्तरां मन्ये पर्वतादपि सद्रुमात्‌ आकाशादपि वा राजजन्नप्रमेयैव वा पुन:

Transliteration

āśāṃ mad-uttarāṃ manye parvatād api sa-drumāt | ākāśād api vā rājann aprameyaiva vā punaḥ ||

Translation

尤提希提罗说道：“噢，大王，我以为希望比我更为宏大——大过林木覆顶的高山，大过苍穹；确然，它一次又一次地显得不可度量。”

Word by Word

• आशा: hope, expectation
• आशा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आशा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मत्: from me / than me
• मत्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Ablative, Singular

• तराम्: greater (comparative degree)
• तराम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तर (तरा-)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• मन्ये: I think / I consider
• मन्ये: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (मन्यते)
• Form: Present, First, Singular, Ātmanepada

• पर्वतात्: than a mountain / from a mountain
• पर्वतात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• अपि: even, also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• सद्रुमात्: than a good tree
• सद्रुमात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सद्रुम
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• आकाशात्: than the sky / from the sky
• आकाशात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• अपि: even, also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• जन: O man / O person
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• प्रमेया: measurable, limited
• प्रमेया: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रमेय
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

• वा: or
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा

• पुनः: again; moreover
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• rājan (addressed king)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Hope (āśā) is portrayed as boundless and overpowering—surpassing even vast natural measures like mountains and the sky—implying that unchecked expectation can dominate the mind and must be understood and disciplined within dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and inner life, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king and reflects on the immense, immeasurable force of hope, using cosmic comparisons to emphasize its magnitude.