Shloka 22
स पिता सा च जननी यौ पुष्णीतां स्वपुत्रवत् । शिशून् बन्धुभिरुत्सृष्टानकल्पै: पोषरक्षणे ॥ २२ ॥
sa pitā sā ca jananī yau puṣṇītāṁ sva-putra-vat śiśūn bandhubhir utsṛṣṭān akalpaiḥ poṣa-rakṣaṇe
They alone are the true father and true mother who, as if the children were their own sons, nourish and protect those little ones abandoned by relatives unable to maintain and shelter them.
FAQs
This verse teaches that real fatherhood and motherhood are shown by nourishing and protecting helpless children who have been abandoned by relatives unable to care for them.
In His instructions to Uddhava, Kṛṣṇa defines true virtue in practical terms—dharma expressed as compassionate responsibility toward the vulnerable.
Support and protect vulnerable children—through adoption, fostering, charity, mentorship, or community care—treating them with the same concern one would give one’s own family.