स्कन्दोपाख्यानम् — उत्पातशान्तिः, स्वाहारूपविचारः, कौमारमङ्गलक्रियाः
एतौ मे परम॑ ब्रह्मनू पिता माता च दैवतम् । एतौ पुष्पै: फलै रत्नैस्तोषयामि सदा द्विज,ब्रह्मन्! ये माता-पिता ही मेरे सर्वश्रेष्ठ देवता हैं। मैं सदा फ़ूल, फल तथा रत्नोंसे इन्हींको संतुष्ट करता हूँ
etau me paramaṁ brahmanū pitā mātā ca daivatam | etau puṣpaiḥ phalai ratnaistōṣayāmi sadā dvija brahman ||
El cazador dijo: «¡Oh brahmán! Para mí, estos dos—mi padre y mi madre—son la divinidad suprema. ¡Oh dos veces nacido!, sin cesar los honro y los complazco con flores, frutos y dones preciosos».
व्याध उवाच
True dharma is shown through lived conduct: honoring and serving one’s parents is presented as the highest form of worship, even above external ritualism.
In the Vana Parva dialogue, the hunter instructs a Brahmin by pointing to his own parents and declaring them his supreme deities, explaining that he regularly pleases them with offerings such as flowers, fruits, and valuables.