Shloka 4
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
यच्च ते5भ्यनुजानीयु: कर्म तात सुपूजिता: । धर्माधर्मविरुद्धं वा तत् कर्तव्यं युधिष्ठिर,तात युधिष्ठिर! भलीभाँति पूजित हुए वे माता-पिता और गुरुजन जिस कामके लिये आज्ञा दें, वह धर्मके अनुकूल हो या विरुद्ध, उसका पालन करना ही चाहिये
yac ca te 'bhyanujānīyuḥ karma tāta supūjitāḥ | dharmādharmaviruddhaṃ vā tat kartavyaṃ yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Mein Kind, o Yudhiṣṭhira: Welche Handlung auch immer dir deine wohlgeehrten Ältesten — Eltern und Lehrer — erlauben oder gebieten, die sollst du ausführen, selbst wenn sie dem Dharma zu entsprechen oder ihm zu widersprechen scheint.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma emphasizes deference to duly revered elders—especially parents and teachers—presenting obedience to their sanctioned instruction as a binding duty, even when the act seems to fall into a dharma–adharma tension.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to Yudhiṣṭhira after the war, Bhīṣma continues outlining norms of conduct and duty, here stressing the authority of honoured elders (parents and gurus) in guiding action.