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 berkata: “Sekalipun seseorang melakukan pelanggaran terhadap mereka, ia tidak menjadi ternoda karenanya; dan mereka (para sesepuh) pun tidak menandainya sebagai ternoda. Para dewa bersama para resi mengetahui kedudukan sejati mereka yang berjuang menuntun orang lain menuju dharma—yakni orang tua dan para guru—yang karena kasih tidak menimpakan cela, melainkan terus berusaha membimbing anak atau murid ke jalan benar.”
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.