Shloka 20
Vyādha–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Śāpa, Vṛtta-Dharma, and Counsel Against Viṣāda
Grief
आशंसते हि पुत्रेषु पिता माता च भारत । यश: कीर्तिमथैश्वर्य प्रजा धर्म तथैव च,भारत! पिता और माता अपने पुत्रोंके लिये यश, कीर्ति और ऐश्वचर्य, संतान तथा धर्मकी शुभकामना करते हैं
āśaṃsate hi putreṣu pitā mātā ca bhārata | yaśaḥ kīrtim athaiśvaryaṃ prajā dharma tathaiva ca ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “O Bhārata, a father and a mother, with regard to their sons, indeed cherish auspicious hopes—may they attain honor and renown, prosperity and lordly fortune, offspring, and likewise steadfastness in dharma.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the natural and ethical aspirations parents hold for their children: not merely wealth or status, but also honor, good reputation, continuity of family, and above all adherence to dharma—suggesting that true flourishing is measured by virtue as well as success.
Mārkaṇḍeya addresses a Bhārata (in this context, typically Yudhiṣṭhira) and states a general principle about parental hopes for their sons, framing the discussion around human aims and the primacy of dharma among desired attainments.