Shloka 17
Vyādha–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Śāpa, Vṛtta-Dharma, and Counsel Against Viṣāda
Grief
मातृस्तु गौरवादन्ये पितृनन्ये तु मेनिरे । दुष्करं कुरुते माता विवर्धयति या प्रजा:,कुछ लोग माताओंको गौरवकी दृष्टिसे बड़ी मानते हैं। दूसरे लोग पिताको महत्त्व देते हैं। परंतु माता जो अपनी संतानोंको पाल-पोसकर बड़ा बनाती है, वह उसका कठिन कार्य है
mātṛs tu gauravād anye pitṝn anye tu menire | duṣkaraṃ kurute mātā vivardhayati yā prajāḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: Some regard the mother as the more venerable, while others assign greater importance to the father. Yet it is the mother—she who nurtures and raises her children to maturity—who performs the truly difficult work. The verse underscores an ethical recognition of the mother’s labor and the gratitude owed for sustained care and upbringing.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches ethical discernment about parental reverence: while opinions differ on whether mother or father deserves greater honor, the mother’s sustained, arduous role in nurturing and raising children is highlighted as especially demanding and thus worthy of deep respect and gratitude.
Mārkaṇḍeya is speaking in a didactic mode, offering a reflective observation on social attitudes toward parents and then grounding the discussion in lived duty: the mother’s concrete labor of upbringing is presented as the decisive consideration.