Shloka 40
Go-dāna-phala-nirdeśa
Merit and Destinations from the Gift of Cows
शुश्रूषते यः पितरं न चासूयेत् कदाचन । मातरं भ्रातरं वापि गुरुमाचार्यमेव च
śuśrūṣate yaḥ pitaraṃ na cāsūyet kadācana | mātaraṃ bhrātaraṃ vāpi gurum ācāryam eva ca ||
शुश्रूषते यः पितरं न चासूयेत् कदाचन । मातरं भ्रातरं वापि गुरुमाचार्यमेव च ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Attentive service to one’s father, mother, elder brother, guru, and teacher—without envy or fault-finding—constitutes a powerful dharmic discipline that yields honor in heaven and protects one from falling into hell, especially when joined with self-control.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he highlights the spiritual and karmic reward of serving elders and preceptors with a pure, non-censorious attitude, framing it as a path to heavenly honor and freedom from infernal consequences.