Shloka 131
आपद्धर्मनिर्णयः — विश्वामित्र-श्वपचसंवादः
Apaddharma Determination: Dialogue of Viśvāmitra and the Śvapaca
अहं च पूजयिष्ये त्वां समित्रगणबान्धवम् | जीवितस्य प्रदातारं कृतज्ञ: को न पूजयेत्,“मैं भी मित्रों और बन्धु-बान्धवोंसहित तुम्हारा सदा ही आदर-सत्कार करूँगा। संसारमें ऐसा कौन पुरुष होगा, जो अपने जीवनदाताकी पूजा न करे?
ahaṃ ca pūjayiṣye tvāṃ samitragaṇabāndhavam | jīvitasya pradātāraṃ kṛtajñaḥ ko na pūjayet ||
Bhishma sprach: „Auch ich werde dich ehren — zusammen mit deinem Kreis von Freunden und Verwandten. Wer, der dankbar ist, würde nicht den verehren, der ihm das Leben selbst geschenkt hat?“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds kṛtajñatā (gratitude) as a central ethical duty: one should honor and repay benefactors—especially the ‘giver of life’—since remembering and revering received help is integral to dharma.
Bhishma, speaking in the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, declares his intention to honor the addressed person publicly and fully—extending respect to that person’s friends and relatives—framing such reverence as the natural act of a grateful person.