Shloka 21
स्कन्दोपाख्यानम् — उत्पातशान्तिः, स्वाहारूपविचारः, कौमारमङ्गलक्रियाः
एतौ मे परम॑ ब्रह्मनू पिता माता च दैवतम् । एतौ पुष्पै: फलै रत्नैस्तोषयामि सदा द्विज,ब्रह्मन्! ये माता-पिता ही मेरे सर्वश्रेष्ठ देवता हैं। मैं सदा फ़ूल, फल तथा रत्नोंसे इन्हींको संतुष्ट करता हूँ
etau me paramaṁ brahmanū pitā mātā ca daivatam | etau puṣpaiḥ phalai ratnaistōṣayāmi sadā dvija brahman ||
قال الصيّاد: «يا براهمن! هذان الاثنان—أبي وأمّي—هما عندي أسمى ألوهية. يا ذا الميلادين، إنّي أكرّمهما على الدوام وأُرضيهما بالزهور والثمار والهدايا النفيسة.»
व्याध उवाच
Educational Q&A
True dharma is shown through lived conduct: honoring and serving one’s parents is presented as the highest form of worship, even above external ritualism.
In the Vana Parva dialogue, the hunter instructs a Brahmin by pointing to his own parents and declaring them his supreme deities, explaining that he regularly pleases them with offerings such as flowers, fruits, and valuables.