Shloka 29
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
समर्थ वासमर्थ वा कृशं वाप्यकृशं तथा । रक्षत्येव सुतं माता नान्य: पोष्टा विधानत:,"पुत्र असमर्थ हो या समर्थ, दुर्बल हो या हृष्ट-पुष्ट, माता उसका पालन करती ही है। माताके सिवा दूसरा कोई विधिपूर्वक पुत्रका पालन-पोषण नहीं कर सकता
samarthaṁ vā asamarthaṁ vā kṛśaṁ vā api akṛśaṁ tathā | rakṣaty eva sutaṁ mātā nānyaḥ poṣṭā vidhānataḥ ||
ビーシュマは言った。「子が有能であろうと無能であろうと、痩せ衰えていようと健やかであろうと、必ず守り養うのは母である。母をおいて、正しくしかるべきかたちで子を養い育て得る者は他にいない。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates maternal duty as uniquely unconditional and dharmic: regardless of a child’s strength or weakness, the mother remains the primary protector and rightful nurturer, embodying steadfast care that others cannot fully replicate “according to proper order” (vidhānataḥ).
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma is teaching Yudhiṣṭhira through ethical reflections. Here he underscores the mother’s singular role in protection and upbringing, using contrasting conditions (capable/incapable, frail/robust) to stress the universality of her care.