Shloka 30
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
उपाध्यायं पितरं मातरं च येअभिद्रह्मन्ते ममसा कर्मणा वा । तेषां पापं भ्रूणहत्याविशिष्टं तस्मान्नान्य: पापकृदस्ति लोके,अध्यापक, पिता और माताके प्रति जो मन-वाणी और क्रियाद्दारा द्रोह करते हैं, उन्हें भ्रूणहत्यासे भी महान् पाप लगता है। संसारमें उससे बढ़कर दूसरा कोई पापाचारी नहीं है
upādhyāyaṃ pitaraṃ mātaraṃ ca ye ’bhidrahmante manasā karmaṇā vā | teṣāṃ pāpaṃ bhrūṇahatyāviśiṣṭaṃ tasmān nānyaḥ pāpakṛd asti loke ||
Bhishma said: Those who betray their teacher, their father, or their mother—whether by mind, by word, or by deed—incur a sin comparable to the killing of an embryo. In this world, there is no wrongdoer more grievous than such a person.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Betrayal or hostility toward one’s teacher, father, or mother—whether in thought or action—is presented as among the gravest moral transgressions, equated with the paradigmatic great sin of bhrūṇahatya, underscoring the centrality of gratitude, reverence, and non-harm toward one’s primary benefactors.
In the Shanti Parva’s dharma instruction, Bhishma continues his ethical teaching by ranking moral faults: he condemns treachery toward the guru and parents as exceptionally severe, using a strong comparison to emphasize their protected status within dharma.