Shloka 8
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
त्रिष्वप्रमाद्यन्नेतेषु त्रींललोकांश्व विजेष्यसि | पितृवृत्त्या त्विमं लोक॑ मातृवृत््या तथा परम्
bhīṣma uvāca |
triṣv apramādyann eteṣu trīṁl lokāṁś ca vijeṣyasi |
pitṛvṛttyā tv imaṁ lokaṁ mātṛvṛttyā tathā param ||
Bhīṣma said: “If you remain vigilant and do not lapse in regard to these three, you will conquer the three worlds. By conduct befitting a father you win this world, and by conduct befitting a mother you attain the next.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that steady vigilance in three key duties (as referenced in the surrounding discourse) leads to complete success—symbolized as ‘conquering the three worlds’—and that righteous, protective father-like conduct secures well-being in this life, while compassionate, nurturing mother-like conduct supports merit for the next life.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he emphasizes careful adherence to a triad of principles and frames ethical leadership through the complementary ideals of paternal protection and maternal care, linking them to worldly and otherworldly outcomes.