Shloka 35
Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
तेडप्येवं नाभिजानन्ति पितृकार्यविनिश्चयम् । वर्जयित्वा महात्मानं चिरजीविनमुत्तमम्
teḍ apy evaṁ nābhijānanti pitṛkārya-viniścayam | varjayitvā mahātmānaṁ cirajīvinam uttamam ||
Aun ellos, de este modo, no comprenden en verdad la correcta determinación de lo que debe hacerse por los antepasados (los deberes debidos a los Pitṛs)—salvo aquel supremo, magnánimo, excelente y longevo, el único que no debe ser excluido de tal entendimiento.
देवदूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse stresses that correct discernment about duties owed to the ancestors (pitṛkārya) is subtle and often misunderstood; true clarity belongs to an exceptional, ethically elevated person (mahātmā), implying that guidance on such dharma should be sought from the truly wise and authoritative.
A divine messenger (devadūta) comments that people generally fail to grasp the proper decision regarding ancestral obligations, while singling out one supreme, long-lived great soul as an exception—someone whose understanding of pitṛ-dharma is reliable.