Shloka 35
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
तेडप्येवं नाभिजानन्ति पितृकार्यविनिश्चयम् । वर्जयित्वा महात्मानं चिरजीविनमुत्तमम्
teḍ apy evaṁ nābhijānanti pitṛkārya-viniścayam | varjayitvā mahātmānaṁ cirajīvinam uttamam ||
حتى أولئك، على هذا النحو، لا يدركون حقًّا التحديد الصحيح لما ينبغي فعله من أجل الأسلاف (الواجبات المستحقة للـ«پِتْرِ»)، إلا ذلك السامي، العظيم الروح، الأكمل طويل العمر؛ فهو وحده الذي لا يجوز استبعاده من هذا الفهم.
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses that correct discernment about duties owed to the ancestors (pitṛkārya) is subtle and often misunderstood; true clarity belongs to an exceptional, ethically elevated person (mahātmā), implying that guidance on such dharma should be sought from the truly wise and authoritative.
A divine messenger (devadūta) comments that people generally fail to grasp the proper decision regarding ancestral obligations, while singling out one supreme, long-lived great soul as an exception—someone whose understanding of pitṛ-dharma is reliable.