Shloka 85
देवतापितृप्रश्नः — Nārada at Badarīāśrama: the ultimate referent of daiva and pitṛ worship
मातापितृसहस््राणि पुत्रदारशतानि च । अनागतान्यतीतानि कस्य ते कस्य वा वयम्
mātāpitr̥sahasrāṇi putradāraśatāni ca | anāgatānyatītāni kasya te kasya vā vayam ||
व्यास उवाच—मातापितृसहस्राणि पुत्रदारशतानि च। अनागतान्यतीतानि कस्य ते कस्य वा वयम्॥
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse undermines possessiveness and grief rooted in family-identity by pointing to saṃsāra: across countless births, one has had innumerable parents, spouses, and children. Therefore, clinging to “mine” and “yours” is ethically misguided; one should act with dharma while cultivating detachment.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on right understanding after the war, Vyāsa speaks in a reflective, philosophical register, reminding the listener that worldly relations recur and change across past and future lives, so one should not be overwhelmed by attachment-based sorrow or pride.