Shloka 34
Karma, Preta-gati, and the Continuity of Phala
Mārkaṇḍeya’s Instruction
प्राइनाभिवर्धनात् पुंसो जातकर्म विधीयते । तत्रास्य माता सावित्री पिता त्वाचार्य उच्यते
prāṇābhivardhanāt puṁso jātakarma vidhīyate | tatrāsya mātā sāvitrī pitā tv ācārya ucyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Porque a força vital (prāṇa) de uma pessoa é nutrida e fortalecida, prescreve-se o rito chamado jātakarma. Nesse contexto, Sāvitrī — o sagrado mantra Gāyatrī/Sāvitrī que desperta a vida espiritual — é dita sua mãe, e o mestre (ācārya) é chamado seu pai.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True formation of a person is not only biological: sacred instruction that ‘nourishes prāṇa’ and awakens discernment is treated as a kind of birth. Hence the Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī) is honored as the spiritual mother, and the ācārya who imparts discipline and knowledge is honored as the spiritual father.
Yudhiṣṭhira is explaining the religious-ethical basis of saṁskāras and the status of the guru. He frames jātakarma (and by extension formative rites and instruction) as life-strengthening, and identifies the Sāvitrī mantra and the teacher as the key ‘parents’ in one’s spiritual and moral upbringing.