Shloka 6
तृष्णाक्षय-उपदेशः
Instruction on the Cessation of Craving
यथा मातरमश्रित्य सर्वे जीवन्ति जन्तव: । एवं गार्हस्थ्यमाश्रित्य वर्तन्त इतराश्रमा:,जैसे समस्त प्राणी माताकी गोदका सहारा पाकर ही जीवन धारण करते हैं, उसी प्रकार गृहस्थ-आश्रमका आश्रय लेकर ही दूसरे आश्रम टिके हुए हैं
yathā mātaram āśritya sarve jīvanti jantavaḥ | evaṁ gārhasthyam āśritya vartanta itarāśramāḥ ||
यथा मातरमाश्रित्य सर्वे जीवन्ति जन्तवः । एवं गार्हस्थ्यमाश्रित्य वर्तन्त इतराश्रमाः ॥
कपिल उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the interdependence of the four āśramas, emphasizing that gārhasthya (householder life) sustains the others—much like a mother sustains living beings—through support, provision, and protection within dharma.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Kapila speaks as a teacher, using a vivid simile (mother and creatures) to explain why the householder order is foundational for the functioning of the other life-stages.