Shloka 11
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
पितुराज्ञा परो धर्म: स्वधर्मो मातृ्रक्षणम् । अस्वतन्त्रं च पुत्रत्वं कि तु मां नानुपीडयेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | piturājñā paro dharmaḥ svadharmo mātṛrakṣaṇam | asvatantraṃ ca putratvaṃ kiṃ tu māṃ nānupīḍayet ||
He thought: “Obedience to a father’s command is the highest dharma, and the protection of one’s mother is the son’s own foremost duty. Sonship is not a state of independence; a son remains under the authority of his parents. What, then, should I do so that I am not tormented by the pain of falling away from dharma?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse prioritizes filial dharma: a son’s highest righteousness lies in obeying the father’s command and protecting the mother, emphasizing that sonship entails dependence and responsibility rather than personal autonomy.
Bhishma articulates an ethical conflict: he recognizes binding duties toward both parents and asks how to act so that he does not suffer the anguish of violating dharma—framing a decision-point where competing obligations must be reconciled.