Shloka 24
पितृयज्ञे नारायणतत्त्वम् — The Nārāyaṇa Grounding of Ancestral Offerings
पितृभक्तो दृढतपा: पितु: सुदयित: सुतः । अनन्यमनसा तेन कथं पित्रा विसर्जित:,“यह बड़ा ही तपस्वी और पितृभक्त था और अपने पिताका बहुत ही प्यारा बेटा था। उनका मन सदा इसीमें लगा रहता था; फिर भी उन्होंने इसे जानेकी आज्ञा कैसे दे दी?”
pitṛbhakto dṛḍhatapāḥ pituḥ sudayitaḥ sutaḥ | ananyamanasā tena kathaṁ pitrā visarjitaḥ ||
Dijo Śuka: «Era firme en la austeridad y devoto de su padre, y era un hijo entrañablemente querido por él. La mente del padre estaba fija sólo en él; aun así, ¿cómo pudo el padre darle permiso para partir?»
शुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension central to dharma: even when love and attachment are strong (a beloved, dutiful son), a higher duty or spiritual necessity may require letting go. It invites reflection on when permission, release, or renunciation is ethically appropriate despite personal affection.
Śuka questions an apparent contradiction in the story: the son is described as intensely devoted, austere, and dearly loved, with an undivided mind—yet the father still allows him to leave. The line functions as a prompt for the next explanation of the circumstances and principles that justified the father’s decision.