Shloka 26
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
येन प्रीणात्युपाध्यायं तेन स्याद् ब्रह्म पूजितम् । मातृतः पितृतश्वैव तस्मात् पूज्यतमो गुरु:
yena prīṇāty upādhyāyaṁ tena syād brahma pūjitam | mātṛtaḥ pitṛtaś caiva tasmāt pūjyatamo guruḥ ||
Por la conducta con que el discípulo alegra y satisface al upādhyāya (maestro de enseñanza), por esa misma conducta queda adorado el Brahman supremo. Por ello, el gurú es digno de la más alta reverencia—más venerable incluso que la madre y el padre.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Serving and pleasing one’s teacher through proper conduct is itself a form of worship of Brahman; hence the guru deserves the highest honor, even surpassing the reverence owed to parents.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and right conduct; here he emphasizes the spiritual significance of honoring the teacher, framing it as direct worship of the Supreme.