Shloka 14
Nārada–Vāyu–Śalmali Upākhyāna: Enmity with the Strong and the Primacy of Buddhi (नारद-वायु-शल्मलि उपाख्यानम्)
बहुकल्याणमिच्छन्ति ईहन्ते पितर: सुतान् । तपसा दैवतेज्याभिरवरन्दनेन तितिक्षया
bahu-kalyāṇam icchanti īhante pitaraḥ sutān | tapasā daivatejyābhir avarandanena titikṣayā ||
Bhishma sprach: „Väter (und Eltern) mühen sich, Söhne zu erlangen, in der Hoffnung auf reiches Wohlergehen durch sie. Sie suchen dies durch Askese, Verehrung der Götter, ehrerbietige Verneigung und geduldiges Erdulden—denn sie hoffen, dass, sobald ein Sohn geboren ist, er zur Quelle des höchsten Gutes für Familie und Geschlecht werde.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Parents seek children not merely for personal attachment but with the ethical hope of ‘kalyāṇa’—that the child will uphold dharma, continue the lineage responsibly, and become a source of welfare. The means emphasized—tapas (self-discipline), devotion, reverence, and titikṣā (forbearance)—are themselves virtues that shape the moral environment into which the child is born.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he explains why elders undertake religious and ethical disciplines: to obtain worthy offspring and to secure the highest good for the family through that offspring’s virtuous life.