Shloka 4
Brāhmaṇa-vandana: Criteria for Veneration, Disciplined Speech, and Protective Kingship (अनुशासनपर्व, अध्याय ८)
येषां बालाश्न वृद्धाश्व पितृपैतामहीं धुरम् । उद्धहन्ति न सीदन्ति तेभ्यो वै स्पृहयाम्यहम्
yeṣāṃ bālāś ca vṛddhāś ca pitṛ-paitāmahīṃ dhuram | uddahanti na sīdanti tebhyo vai spṛhayāmy aham ||
Bhīṣma said: “I long for those people in whose families, from the young to the old, they shoulder the ancestral burden of duty handed down from fathers and grandfathers—and yet do not sink under it or feel dejected. Such steadfast bearers of inherited dharma are the ones I admire.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises steadfastness in inherited dharma: people who, across generations, accept the responsibilities handed down in the family and perform them without resentment or discouragement are worthy of admiration.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on righteous conduct. Here he highlights an ethical ideal—families where both young and old uphold ancestral religious and social duties without feeling burdened or disheartened.