Shloka 21
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
न संदुष्यति तत् कृत्वा न च ते दूषयन्ति तम् । धर्माय यतमानानां दिदुर्देवा महर्षिभि:
na saṃduṣyati tat kṛtvā na ca te dūṣayanti tam | dharmāya yatamānānāṃ vidur devā maharṣibhiḥ ||
Bhishma dit : «Même si l’on commettait une offense envers eux, on n’en est pas souillé pour autant, et eux (les aînés) ne marquent pas l’homme du sceau de l’impureté. Les dieux, avec les grands rishis, connaissent la vraie stature de ceux qui s’emploient pour le dharma—tels les parents et les maîtres—qui, par affection, n’imputent pas la faute au fils ou au disciple, mais s’efforcent sans cesse de le guider sur la voie droite».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Parents and teachers, as benevolent guides toward dharma, are to be regarded as fundamentally non-condemnable; even if a son or disciple errs toward them, they do not (by nature and duty) fix lasting blame but seek to reform and lead him back to righteousness.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma after the war. Here he emphasizes the special moral status of elders—especially parents and gurus—highlighting their forgiving, corrective role recognized by gods and great seers.