Shloka 12
स्त्रियं हत्वा मातरं च को हि जातु सुखी भवेत् । पितरं चाप्यवज्ञाय कः प्रतिष्ठामवाप्रुयात्,“एक तो स्त्री-जाति, दूसरे माताका वध करके कौन पुत्र कभी भी सुखी हो सकता है? पिताकी अवहेलना करके भी कौन प्रतिष्ठा पा सकता है?
striyaṁ hatvā mātaraṁ ca ko hi jātu sukhī bhavet | pitaraṁ cāpy avajñāya kaḥ pratiṣṭhām avāpruyāt ||
Pensó: «Tras matar a una mujer —y a la propia madre—, ¿quién podría ser alguna vez verdaderamente feliz? Y ¿quién, después de despreciar y deshonrar a su padre, alcanzaría una honra y un respeto duraderos en el mundo?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma underscores a dharmic axiom: grave violence against a woman—especially one’s mother—and contempt toward one’s father destroy the foundations of inner happiness (sukha) and public legitimacy (pratiṣṭhā). Ethical life begins with reverence and non-injury toward those to whom one owes life and nurture.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma warns against extreme adharma within the family sphere. He frames the point as rhetorical questions: such acts inevitably block both personal well-being and social honour.