Shloka 19
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
उभौ हि मातापितरौ जन्मन्येवोपयुज्यत: । परंतु मेरा विश्वास यह है कि गुरुका पद पिता और मातासे भी बढ़कर है; क्योंकि माता-पिता तो केवल इस शरीरको जन्म देनेके ही उपयोगमें आते हैं ।। शरीरमेव सृजत: पिता माता च भारत
ubhāv hi mātāpitarau janmany evopayujyataḥ | parantu me viśvāsa eṣaḥ yat guroḥ padaṃ pituḥ mātur api vardhate; yato mātāpitarau kevalaṃ śarīrasya janma-dāne eva upayujyete || śarīram eva sṛjataḥ pitā mātā ca bhārata ||
ビーシュマは言った。「母と父の二人は、誕生のまさにその瞬間において確かに不可欠である。だが私の確信では、師の位は父母をも超える。父母が主として為すのは、この身体を生じさせることに過ぎないからだ。おおバーラタよ、父と母が造るのはただ身体のみである。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes biological parenthood from formative guidance: parents give the physical body, but the guru’s role is higher because the teacher shapes character, knowledge, and dharma—what makes a person truly fit to live rightly.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma addresses the listener as ‘Bharata’ and explains why reverence for the guru is paramount, grounding the claim in the different kinds of ‘giving’—bodily birth versus ethical and intellectual formation.