Shloka 37
अन्नदान-प्रशंसा (Praise of the Gift of Food) | Annadāna-Praśaṃsā
न मे पिता प्रियतरो न त्वं तात तथा प्रिय: । न मे पितु: पिता राजन् न चात्मा न च जीवितम्
na me pitā priyataro na tvaṃ tāta tathā priyaḥ | na me pituḥ pitā rājan na cātmā na ca jīvitam ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Mir ist niemand lieber als mein Vater; und auch du, liebes Kind, bist mir ebenso lieb. Doch, o König, weder der Vater meines Vaters noch ich selbst, ja nicht einmal mein Leben ist mir so teuer wie die Pflicht, die ich wahre — darum werde ich das Rechte nicht um der Zuneigung willen preisgeben.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes that even the strongest human attachments—toward father, child, self, and life—must not override dharma; ethical duty is to be held higher than personal affection.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing the king in righteous conduct. Here he underscores the intensity of his affections while asserting that he will not let those bonds displace his commitment to what is right.