Shloka 22
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
आशिषस्ता भजन्त्येनं परुषं प्राह यत् पिता । निष्कृति: सर्वपापानां पिता यच्चाभिनन्दति
āśiṣastā bhajanty enaṃ paruṣaṃ prāha yat pitā | niṣkṛtiḥ sarvapāpānāṃ pitā yaccābhinandati ||
Bhīṣma said: “Even when a father speaks harshly, those words are taken up by the son as blessings. And when a father expresses approval—showing affection and honor through sweet speech—this becomes an expiation for all the son’s sins.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A father’s words carry moral and spiritual weight: even stern correction can function as a blessing, and a father’s heartfelt approval and affectionate speech is portrayed as a powerful purifier—an atonement for the son’s faults.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma teaches about the ethical significance of familial relationships, emphasizing the father’s role in guiding, correcting, and blessing the son through speech.