Shloka 40
Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
शुश्रूषते यः पितरं न चासूयेत् कदाचन । मातरं भ्रातरं वापि गुरुमाचार्यमेव च
śuśrūṣate yaḥ pitaraṃ na cāsūyet kadācana | mātaraṃ bhrātaraṃ vāpi gurum ācāryam eva ca ||
Bhīṣma dit : «L’homme qui sert son père et ne nourrit jamais, à aucun moment, ni jalousie ni esprit de reproche envers lui—qui sert de même sa mère, son frère aîné, ainsi que son guru et son maître—ô roi, sache le fruit qui lui revient. Il obtient au ciel une place honorée et révérée ; et, maître de lui, par la puissance du service dévoué rendu au guru, il ne voit jamais l’enfer.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Attentive service to one’s father, mother, elder brother, guru, and teacher—without envy or fault-finding—constitutes a powerful dharmic discipline that yields honor in heaven and protects one from falling into hell, especially when joined with self-control.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he highlights the spiritual and karmic reward of serving elders and preceptors with a pure, non-censorious attitude, framing it as a path to heavenly honor and freedom from infernal consequences.