Shloka 25
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
अपश्यतां प्रियान् पुत्रांस्तेषां शोको न तिष्ठति । न च पुष्णन्ति संवृद्धास्ते मातापितरी क्वचित्
apaśyatāṁ priyān putrāṁs teṣāṁ śoko na tiṣṭhati | na ca puṣṇanti saṁvṛddhās te mātāpitarī kvacit ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Quand les fils bien-aimés ne sont plus sous leurs yeux, le chagrin de ces parents ne demeure pas fixé, dévorant. Et pourtant, même une fois adultes, ces fils ne soutiennent ni ne prennent jamais véritablement soin de leur père et de leur mère.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights a moral tension: parents’ grief over absent children may not remain constant, but grown sons often fail in their dharma of supporting and caring for their parents. The verse underscores filial responsibility as an ethical obligation, not merely an emotional bond.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma continues advising on righteous conduct and social duties. Here he reflects on family relations—especially the expectations placed on sons—and critiques the neglect of parents even after children reach maturity.