Shloka 7
आशा-कृशता उपाख्यानम्
The Episode on the Emaciation Caused by Hope
राजन! मैं आशाको वृक्षसहित पर्वतसे भी बहुत बड़ी मानता हूँ अथवा वह आकाशसे भी बढ़कर अप्रमेय है ।।
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | rājan, ahaṃ āśāṃ vṛkṣasahitāt parvatād api bahutarīṃ manye, athavā sā ākāśād api bṛhatī aprameyā | eṣā caiva kuruśreṣṭha durvicintyā sudurlabhā | durlabhatvāc ca paśyāmi kim anyad durlabhaṃ tataḥ ||
尤提希提罗说道：“噢，大王，我把希望看得比林木覆顶的高山还要宏大；它比苍穹更为辽阔——不可度量。噢，俱卢族之最杰者，这希望难以参透，且极难驾驭；要将其征服，尤为艰辛。正因它如此飘忽、如此难以降伏，我才觉得它这般巨大。毕竟，还有什么比希望更难获得——或更难制伏呢？”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Hope (āśā) is portrayed as immeasurable and extremely difficult to overcome; ethical steadiness requires recognizing how expectation and longing can dominate the mind, and cultivating self-mastery rather than being driven by endless anticipation.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king/elder as he reflects on inner obstacles to peace; he uses striking comparisons (mountain, sky) to argue that hope is the most elusive and unconquerable force among human tendencies.