Shloka 16
Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Reconciliation and Partition (भीष्मोपदेशः—संधि-राज्यविभागविचारः)
गुरोहि वचन प्राहुर्धर्म्य धर्मज्ञसत्तम । गुरूणां चैव सर्वेषां माता परमको गुरु:,धर्मज्ञोंमें श्रेष्ठ व्यासजी! गुरुजनोंकी आज्ञाको धर्मसंगत बताया गया है और समस्त गुरुओंमें माता परम गुरु मानी गयी है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
guroḥ hi vacanaṁ prāhur dharmyaṁ dharmajñasattama |
gurūṇāṁ caiva sarveṣāṁ mātā paramako guruḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik di antara para mengetahui dharma, perintah guru dinyatakan benar dan selaras dengan dharma. Dan di antara semua guru, ibu dipandang sebagai guru yang tertinggi.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that obedience to a true guru’s instruction is considered dharmic, and it elevates the mother as the foremost authority among all gurus—highlighting gratitude, reverence, and ethical discipline rooted in family and tradition.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking in a dharma-centered discussion, addressing a foremost knower of dharma (understood as Vyāsa), and articulating a principle of conduct: the legitimacy of following a guru’s command and the special preeminence of the mother among revered elders.