Shloka 31
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
भृतो वृद्धों यो न बिभर्ति पुत्र: स्वयोनिज: पितरं मातरं च । तद् वै पापं भ्रूणहत्याविशिष्टं तस्मान्नान्य: पापकृदस्ति लोके,जो पिता-माताका औरस पुत्र है और पाल-पोसकर बड़ा कर दिया गया है, वह यदि अपने माता-पिताका भरण-पोषण नहीं करता है तो उसे भ्रूणहत्यासे भी बढ़कर पाप लगता है और जगतमें उससे बड़ा पापात्मा दूसरा कोई नहीं है
bhṛto vṛddho yo na bibharti putraḥ svayonijaḥ pitaraṃ mātaraṃ ca | tad vai pāpaṃ bhrūṇahatyāviśiṣṭaṃ tasmān nānyaḥ pāpakṛd asti loke ||
Bhishma said: If a son—one’s own begotten child—who has been reared and brought to maturity does not support and maintain his father and mother, that is a sin comparable to (indeed, counted as) the grievous crime of foeticide. In this world, there is no wrongdoer more blameworthy than such a person.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A grown son who was raised by his parents has a binding dharmic obligation to support them materially and practically; neglecting this duty is condemned as an extremely grave sin, equated with foeticide, underscoring the seriousness of filial responsibility.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is teaching Yudhishthira about ethical duties in household and social life, emphasizing the paramount importance of caring for one’s parents.