Shloka 31

Devanagari script

“जब मातासे विछोह हो जाता है, उसी समय मनुष्य अपनेको बूढ़ा समझने लगता है, दुखी हो जाता है और उसके लिये सारा संसार सूना प्रतीत होने लगता है ।। नास्ति मातृसमा छाया नास्ति मातृसमा गति: । नास्ति मातृसमं त्राणं नास्ति मातृसमा प्रिया,“माताके समान दूसरी कोई छाया नहीं है अर्थात्‌ माताकी छत्रछायामें जो सुख है, वह कहीं नहीं है। माताके तुल्य दूसरा सहारा नहीं है, माताके सदृश अन्य कोई रक्षक नहीं है तथा बच्चेके लिये माँके समान दूसरी कोई प्रिय वस्तु नहीं है

Transliteration

mātā-viyoge jāte tu tadāiva puruṣo naraḥ | vṛddhaṃ manyate cātmānaṃ duḥkhī bhavati caiva hi | tasya sarvaṃ jagac chūnyaṃ pratibhāti || nāsti mātṛ-samā chāyā nāsti mātṛ-samā gatiḥ | nāsti mātṛ-samaṃ trāṇaṃ nāsti mātṛ-samā priyā ||

Translation

Disse Bhīṣma: Quando ocorre a separação da mãe, naquele mesmo instante a pessoa começa a julgar-se velha, entristece-se, e o mundo inteiro lhe parece deserto. Não há sombra como a da mãe; não há amparo como o dela. Não há proteção igual à da mãe, e para a criança nada é tão querido quanto a mãe.

Word by Word

नास्तिis not / does not exist

मातृ-समाequal to a mother / like a mother

छायाshade, shelter

नास्तिis not

मातृ-समाlike a mother

गतिःrefuge, course, resort

नास्तिis not

मातृ-समम्like a mother (such as)

त्राणम्protection, rescue

नास्तिis not

मातृ-समाlike a mother

प्रियाbeloved (one), dear (thing/person)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

mother (mātā)

child (implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A mother’s presence is portrayed as the unmatched source of shelter, support, protection, and affection; losing her makes life feel suddenly aged and empty. Ethically, it urges reverence, gratitude, and care toward one’s mother as a foundational dharmic duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he emphasizes the unique role of the mother in human life, using vivid psychological effects of maternal separation to teach the value of familial bonds and duty.