Shloka 20
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 158 — Aṅgāraparṇa-saṃvāda and Gaṅgā-tīrtha Saṃghaṭṭa
Encounter at the Gaṅgā ford
तौ च हीनौ मया बालौ त्वया चैव तथा55त्मजौ । विनश्येतां न संदेहो मत्स्याविव जलक्षये,जैसे पानी सूख जानेपर वहाँकी मछलियाँ नष्ट हो जाती हैं, उसी प्रकार मुझसे और आपसे रहित होकर अपने ये दोनों बच्चे निस्संदेह नष्ट हो जायँगे
tau ca hīnau mayā bālau tvayā caiva tathātmajau | vinaśyetāṁ na saṁdeho matsyāv iva jalakṣaye ||
O brāhmaṇa disse: “Se estas duas crianças forem privadas de mim e, do mesmo modo, de ti—seu próprio pai—não há dúvida de que perecerão, como os peixes perecem quando a água seca. Portanto, não as abandones; o dever de ambos os pais é sustentar e proteger seus filhos.”
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores dharma as responsibility toward dependents: children cannot thrive without the care and presence of their parents; neglect is ethically comparable to leaving fish to die when water is gone.
A brāhmaṇa appeals to the other parent, warning that if both parents are absent or withdrawn, the two children will certainly be ruined—illustrated through the vivid simile of fish dying when their water source dries up.