Shloka 27
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
न च शोचति नाप्येनं स्थाविर्यमपकर्षति । श्रिया हीनो5पि यो गेहमम्बेति प्रतिपद्यते
na ca śocati nāpy enaṃ sthāviryam apakarṣati | śriyā hīno 'pi yo geham ambe iti pratipadyate ||
Bhishma said: “Such a person neither grieves, nor does old age drag him down. Even if he is bereft of prosperity, the one who goes home calling out, ‘Mother!’, as it were reaches a refuge of inexhaustible nourishment and protection—like approaching Annapurna herself.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises the mother as a living refuge: calling upon one’s mother and returning home dispels anxiety and mitigates the harshness of aging; even without wealth, maternal shelter provides a sense of fullness, security, and emotional sustenance.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and right living. Here he offers a reflective maxim: the presence and support of one’s mother makes life feel protected and abundant, countering grief and the decline associated with old age.