Shloka 44
Adhyātma–Adhibhūta–Adhidaivata Correspondences and the Triguṇa Lakṣaṇas (Śānti-parva 301)
जननीषु च वर्तन्ते ये न सम्यग् युधिष्ठिर । सदेवकेषु लोकेषु ये न वर्तन्ति मानवा:
jananīṣu ca vartante ye na samyag yudhiṣṭhira | sadevakeṣu lokeṣu ye na vartanti mānavāḥ |
Bhishma dit : «Ô Yudhishthira, les hommes qui ne se comportent pas comme il convient envers leurs mères, et qui, de même, ne vivent pas selon le juste dans les mondes où se trouvent aussi les dieux, tombent dans la ruine. Par le même discernement qui fait comprendre le sort misérable des méchants, il faut aussi saisir la chute des pécheurs et reconnaître les voies multiples et diverses des êtres tombés dans des naissances animales.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Proper conduct toward one’s mother (and, by extension, toward the divine order and the wider world) is a foundational dharmic duty. Neglect of such reverence and right behavior leads to degradation and painful destinies, including lower rebirths; understanding karma’s consequences should guide ethical living.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira on dharma after the war. Here he warns that those who fail in right conduct—especially toward mothers and within the god-ordered world—incur ruin, and he urges Yudhishthira to grasp the logic of karmic outcomes across human and animal realms.