Shloka 26
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
येन प्रीणात्युपाध्यायं तेन स्याद् ब्रह्म पूजितम् । मातृतः पितृतश्वैव तस्मात् पूज्यतमो गुरु:
yena prīṇāty upādhyāyaṁ tena syād brahma pūjitam | mātṛtaḥ pitṛtaś caiva tasmāt pūjyatamo guruḥ ||
Dengan perilaku apa pun seorang murid menyenangkan upadhyaya (guru ilmu), dengan perilaku itu pula pemujaan kepada Brahman Tertinggi terlaksana. Karena itu, guru adalah yang paling patut dihormati—bahkan melebihi ibu dan ayah.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Serving and pleasing one’s teacher through proper conduct is itself a form of worship of Brahman; hence the guru deserves the highest honor, even surpassing the reverence owed to parents.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and right conduct; here he emphasizes the spiritual significance of honoring the teacher, framing it as direct worship of the Supreme.