Shloka 9
Nāga–Nāgabhāryā Saṃvāda: Varṇa-Dharma, Gṛhastha-Discipline, and Mokṣa-Self-Inquiry
Mahābhārata 12.347
वेदश्रुति: प्रणष्टा च पुनरध्यापिता सुतै: । ततस्ते मन्त्रदा: पुत्रा: पितृत्वमुपपेदिरे,देवताओंका वेदज्ञान भूल गया था; फिर उनके पुत्रोंने ही उन्हें वेदश्रुतियोंको पढ़ाया। इसीसे वे मन्त्रदाता पुत्र पितृभावको प्राप्त हुए
vedaśrutiḥ praṇaṣṭā ca punaradhyāpitā sutaiḥ | tataste mantradāḥ putrāḥ pitṛtvamupapedirē ||
वेदश्रुतिः प्रणष्टा च पुनरध्यापिता सुतैः । ततस्ते मन्त्रदाः पुत्राः पितृत्वमुपपेदिरे ॥
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Spiritual authority is grounded in preserving and transmitting sacred knowledge; when sons restore lost Vedic learning to their elders, they earn a father-like status because they become the source of that sustaining wisdom.
Narada describes a situation where Vedic śruti had been forgotten; the sons re-taught it, and by becoming the bestowers of mantras they effectively assumed the role of fathers toward those they instructed.