Shloka 26

Devanagari script

माता देहारणि: पुंसां सर्वस्यार्तस्य निर्व॒ति: । मातृलाभे सनाथत्वमनाथत्वं विपर्यये,“माता मनुष्योंके शरीररूपी अग्निको प्रकट करनेवाली अरणी है। संसारके समस्त आर्त प्राणियोंको सुख और सान्त्वना प्रदान करनेवाली माता ही है। जबतक माता जीवित रहती है, मनुष्य अपनेको सनाथ समझता है और उसके न रहनेपर वह अनाथ हो जाता है

Transliteration

mātā dehāraṇiḥ puṁsāṁ sarvasyārtasya nirvṛtiḥ | mātṛlābhe sanāthatvam anāthatvaṁ viparyaye ||

Translation

മാതാവാണ് മനുഷ്യരുടെ ദേഹരൂപ അഗ്നിയെ ഉണർത്തുന്ന അരണി. ദുഃഖിതരായ എല്ലാ ജീവികൾക്കും അവളാണ് ആശ്വാസവും ശാന്തിയും. മാതാവ് ഉള്ളിടത്തോളം മനുഷ്യൻ താനൊരു സനാഥനെന്ന് കരുതുന്നു; അവൾ ഇല്ലെങ്കിൽ അവൻ സത്യത്തിൽ അനാഥനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

माताmother

देह-अरणिःthe fire-drill (arani) in the form of the body

पुंसाम्of men/people

सर्वस्यof all

आर्तस्यof the afflicted/distressed

निर्वृतिःrelief, comfort, happiness

मातृ-लाभेwhen the mother is obtained/when the mother is present

स-नाथत्वम्having a protector; being supported

अ-नाथत्वम्being without a protector; helplessness

विपर्ययेin the opposite case/when it is otherwise

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

mother (mātā)

araṇi (fire-kindling stick)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches the ethical and emotional centrality of the mother: she is the primary source of life’s nurture and the foremost refuge for the distressed; her presence gives a sense of protection (sanāthatva), and her absence creates profound vulnerability (anāthatva).

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma is teaching Yudhishthira through moral reflections; here he highlights the mother’s unique role as the giver of embodied life and as the natural shelter and consolation for suffering beings.