Shloka 18
पितरं चैव ते मूढं यो न वेत्ति तवानयम् । तस्य च ब्राह्मणस्याद्य यो5सौ मन्त्रमदात् तव
pitaraṃ caiva te mūḍhaṃ yo na vetti tavānayam | tasya ca brāhmaṇasyādya yo'sau mantram adāt tava
Sūrya said: “That deluded man who does not recognize this father of yours—and likewise that brāhmaṇa who today gave you the mantra—(will incur the consequence of such ignorance and wrongdoing).”
सूर्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical accountability tied to knowledge: failing to recognize one’s true father (lineage and obligation) and improperly transmitting sacred knowledge (mantra) are portrayed as serious moral lapses with consequences.
Sūrya addresses the listener and points to two figures: a deluded person who does not recognize the listener’s father, and the brāhmaṇa who has just given the listener a mantra. Sūrya’s statement functions as a warning about the gravity of ignorance and the responsibility involved in giving or receiving mantric instruction.