पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
कुक्षिसंधारणाद् धात्री जननाज्जननी स्मृता । अड्जनां वर्धनादम्बा वीरसूत्वेन वीरसू:
kukṣi-saṃdhāraṇād dhātrī jananāj jananī smṛtā | aṅganāṃ vardhanād ambā vīra-sūtvēna vīra-sūḥ ||
গৰ্ভত ধাৰণ কৰাৰ বাবে তেওঁ ‘ধাত্রী’; জন্ম দিয়াৰ বাবে ‘জননী’ বুলি স্মৃত। শিশুক লালন-পালন কৰাৰ বাবে ‘অম্বা’; আৰু বীৰসন্তান প্ৰসৱ কৰাৰ বাবে ‘বীৰসূ’ বুলি অভিহিত।
भीष्म उवाच
The verse ethically elevates motherhood by defining it through concrete duties—bearing, giving birth, nurturing, and raising worthy (even heroic) children—showing that honorific titles arise from sustained responsibility and care.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and social values; here he explains traditional epithets for ‘mother’ by linking each name to a specific maternal function.