Shloka 25
Dama-pradhāna-dharma (Self-restraint as the Root of Dharma) — Śānti-parva 154
अपश्यतां प्रियान् पुत्रांस्तेषां शोको न तिष्ठति । न च पुष्णन्ति संवृद्धास्ते मातापितरी क्वचित्
apaśyatāṁ priyān putrāṁs teṣāṁ śoko na tiṣṭhati | na ca puṣṇanti saṁvṛddhās te mātāpitarī kvacit ||
ビーシュマは言った。「愛しい息子が目に入らぬとき、彼らの親の悲しみは、固定して心を食い尽くすほどには留まらない。しかも、その息子たちは成長しても、いついかなる時も、真に父母を養い支えることがない。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma highlights a moral tension: parents’ grief over absent children may not remain constant, but grown sons often fail in their dharma of supporting and caring for their parents. The verse underscores filial responsibility as an ethical obligation, not merely an emotional bond.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction, Bhīṣma continues advising on righteous conduct and social duties. Here he reflects on family relations—especially the expectations placed on sons—and critiques the neglect of parents even after children reach maturity.