Shloka 57
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
भवान् हि परिपाल्यो मे सर्वदैव प्रयत्नतः । साधूनां काड्क्षितं यस्मात् पितुर्वद्धस्य पालनम्
bhavān hi paripālyo me sarvadaiva prayatnataḥ | sādhūnāṁ kāṅkṣitaṁ yasmāt pitur vṛddhasya pālanam ||
«Je dois, en tout temps, veiller sur vous avec un effort sincère ; car les hommes de bien désirent que je soutienne et entretienne mon père dans sa vieillesse.» Ainsi, le fils affirme le devoir filial comme un cœur du dharma : servir ses parents, surtout dans l’âge avancé, est un idéal moral loué par les vertueux.
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that caring for one’s parents—especially an aged father—is a primary duty (dharma). The son frames this care as a constant, deliberate responsibility and as conduct esteemed by the virtuous.
A son addresses his father (or an elder in the father’s role) and declares his resolve to protect and maintain him continually. He justifies this vow by appealing to the moral expectations of sādhus, who value the proper support of elderly parents.