Shloka 45
मातापितृपूजन-प्रधानधर्मः (Primacy of Filial Service) — Mārkaṇḍeya’s Account of the Vyādha’s Instruction
शृणुयाद् यः स धर्मात्मा पुत्रवांश्व भवेन्नर: । आयुष्मान् भूतिमांश्वैव श्रुत्वा भवति पर्वसु । न च व्याधिभयं किंचित् प्राप्रोति विगतज्वर:
śṛṇuyād yaḥ sa dharmātmā putravāṁś ca bhaven naraḥ | āyuṣmān bhūtimāṁś caiva śrutvā bhavati parvasu | na ca vyādhibhayaṁ kiṁcit prāpnoti vigatajvaraḥ ||
Markandeya said: Whoever listens to this becomes a righteous-souled person; that man is blessed with sons, long life, and prosperity. Having heard it at sacred occasions and festival times, he gains well-being, and no fear of disease comes upon him—his fever is dispelled.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a phalaśruti: attentive listening to a sacred account is itself a dharmic act that yields ethical refinement and tangible blessings—offspring, longevity, prosperity, and freedom from illness—especially when heard on auspicious occasions.
Mārkaṇḍeya concludes or endorses the preceding sacred narration by stating its fruits: whoever hears it becomes righteous and gains worldly and bodily well-being, emphasizing the merit of śravaṇa (hearing) within the Mahābhārata’s ritual-ethical frame.