Shloka 29
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
किसी भी बर्तावके कारण गुरु अपमानके योग्य नहीं होता। इसी तरह माता और पिता भी अनादरके योग्य नहीं हैं। जैसे गुरु माननीय हैं, वैसे ही माता-पिता भी हैं ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | na te ’vamānam arhanti na teṣāṃ dūṣayet kṛtam | gurūṇām eva satkāraṃ vidur devā maharṣibhiḥ ||
Mereka bertiga tidak pernah layak dihina, dan apa pun yang telah mereka lakukan jangan dicela. Penghormatan kepada para guru dan sesepuh diakui oleh para dewa dan maharsi sebagai penghormatan yang sejati॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not insult or disparage one’s primary elders—especially the guru (and by extension parents). Even if their actions appear flawed, dharma requires restraint from contempt and emphasizes honoring them as a pillar of moral and spiritual life.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is teaching Yudhishthira principles of righteous conduct. Here he stresses the inviolability of respect toward elders/teachers (and the parental role implied in the surrounding context), noting that such reverence is upheld as authoritative even by gods and great sages.