Shloka 26

मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा

Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher

Devanagari script

येन प्रीणात्युपाध्यायं तेन स्याद्‌ ब्रह्म पूजितम्‌ । मातृतः पितृतश्वैव तस्मात्‌ पूज्यतमो गुरु:

Transliteration

yena prīṇāty upādhyāyaṁ tena syād brahma pūjitam | mātṛtaḥ pitṛtaś caiva tasmāt pūjyatamo guruḥ ||

Translation

弟子がいかなる行いによってウパーディヤーヤ（教えの師）を喜ばせ満足させるなら、その行いによって至上のブラフマンが礼拝される。ゆえにグルは、母や父にも勝って、最も深く敬われるべき存在である。

Word by Word

• येन: by which (means)
• येन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• प्रीणाति: pleases
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्री (प्रीणाति)
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• उपाध्यायम्: the teacher (preceptor)
• उपाध्यायम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपाध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• स्यात्: would be / becomes
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Optative (Potential), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• ब्रह्म: Brahman (the Absolute)
• ब्रह्म: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• पूजितम्: worshipped / honored
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज्
• Form: Past Passive Participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• मातृतः: than (one's) mother / from the mother
• मातृतः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ
• Form: Feminine, Ablative, Singular

• पितृतः: than (one's) father / from the father
• पितृतः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• तस्मात्: therefore / from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• पूज्यतमः: most worthy of worship
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Superlative (-तम)

• गुरुः: the teacher
• गुरुः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Upadhyaya (teacher)
• Brahman (Supreme Reality)
• Guru
• Mother
• Father

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Serving and pleasing one’s teacher through proper conduct is itself a form of worship of Brahman; hence the guru deserves the highest honor, even surpassing the reverence owed to parents.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and right conduct; here he emphasizes the spiritual significance of honoring the teacher, framing it as direct worship of the Supreme.