Shloka 5
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 178 — Royal Contestants Assemble; Cosmic Witnesses; The Bow Remains Unstrung
स तात इति विप्रर्षिवसिष्ठं प्रत्यभाषत । मातु: समक्ष कौन्तेय अदृश्यन्त्या: परंतप,परंतप कुन्तीकुमार! एक दिन ब्रह्मर्षि पराशरने अपनी माता अदृश्यन्तीके सामने ही वसिष्ठजीको “तात” कहकर पुकारा
sa tāta iti viprarṣi-vasiṣṭhaṃ pratyabhāṣata | mātuḥ samakṣaṃ kaunteya adṛśyantyāḥ paraṃtapa ||
The Gandharva said: “O son of Kuntī, scorcher of foes—right before his mother Adṛśyantī, the brahmarṣi Parāśara addressed the sage Vasiṣṭha, calling him ‘dear father’.” The line underscores the reverence due to elders and spiritual preceptors, and how such respect is to be upheld openly, even in the presence of one’s own family.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic conduct through respectful speech: honoring venerable elders and spiritual authorities openly, using appropriate forms of address, reinforces humility and the continuity of sacred tradition.
A Gandharva narrates to a Kaunteya (son of Kuntī) that the sage Parāśara, in the presence of his mother Adṛśyantī, addressed the sage Vasiṣṭha as “tāta” (“dear father”), indicating deep reverence and acknowledgment of Vasiṣṭha’s senior spiritual status.