Shloka 30
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
उपाध्यायं पितरं मातरं च येअभिद्रह्मन्ते ममसा कर्मणा वा । तेषां पापं भ्रूणहत्याविशिष्टं तस्मान्नान्य: पापकृदस्ति लोके
upādhyāyaṃ pitaraṃ mātaraṃ ca ye ’bhidrahmante manasā karmaṇā vā | teṣāṃ pāpaṃ bhrūṇahatyāviśiṣṭaṃ tasmān nānyaḥ pāpakṛd asti loke ||
Bhishma dijo: Quienes traicionan al maestro, al padre o a la madre—sea con la mente, con la palabra o con los actos—incurren en un pecado comparable al de matar a un embrión. En este mundo no hay malhechor más grave que tal persona.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Betrayal or hostility toward one’s teacher, father, or mother—whether in thought or action—is presented as among the gravest moral transgressions, equated with the paradigmatic great sin of bhrūṇahatya, underscoring the centrality of gratitude, reverence, and non-harm toward one’s primary benefactors.
In the Shanti Parva’s dharma instruction, Bhishma continues his ethical teaching by ranking moral faults: he condemns treachery toward the guru and parents as exceptionally severe, using a strong comparison to emphasize their protected status within dharma.