Shloka 14
Nārada–Vāyu–Śalmali Upākhyāna: Enmity with the Strong and the Primacy of Buddhi (नारद-वायु-शल्मलि उपाख्यानम्)
बहुकल्याणमिच्छन्ति ईहन्ते पितर: सुतान् । तपसा दैवतेज्याभिरवरन्दनेन तितिक्षया,माता-पिता तपस्या, देवपूजा, नमस्कार और सहनशीलता या क्षमा आदिके द्वारा पुत्र प्राप्त करना चाहते हैं और प्राप्त हुए पुत्रोंसे परम कल्याण पानेकी इच्छा रखते हैं
bahu-kalyāṇam icchanti īhante pitaraḥ sutān | tapasā daivatejyābhir avarandanena titikṣayā ||
قال بهيشما: «إن الآباء (بل الوالدان) يجتهدون في طلب الابن، راغبين في خيرٍ وفيرٍ ينالونه بسببه. ويبتغون ذلك بالزهد والتقشّف (التَّبَس)، وعبادة الآلهة، والتحية المقرونة بالإجلال، والصبر والاحتمال—إذ يرجون أنه متى وُلد الابن صار مصدرَ أعظم الخير للأسرة والسلالة.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Parents seek children not merely for personal attachment but with the ethical hope of ‘kalyāṇa’—that the child will uphold dharma, continue the lineage responsibly, and become a source of welfare. The means emphasized—tapas (self-discipline), devotion, reverence, and titikṣā (forbearance)—are themselves virtues that shape the moral environment into which the child is born.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he explains why elders undertake religious and ethical disciplines: to obtain worthy offspring and to secure the highest good for the family through that offspring’s virtuous life.