Shloka 20
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 123 — Bhīṣma–Droṇa–Vidura Upadeśa to Duryodhana
Keśava-vākya aftermath
एतच्छेयो हि मन्यन्ते पिता यच्छास्ति भारत | उत्तमापदगत: सर्व: पितु:ः स्मरति शासनम्,'भारत! पिता जो कुछ शिक्षा देते हैं, उसीको श्रेष्ठ पुरुष अपने लिये कल्याणकारी मानते हैं। भारी आपत्तिमें पड़नेपर सब लोग अपने पिताके उपदेशका ही स्मरण करते हैं
etac chreyo hi manyante pitā yac chāsti bhārata | uttamāpadagataḥ sarvaḥ pituḥ smarati śāsanam ||
वैशम्पायन उवाच—एतच्छ्रेयो हि मन्यन्ते पिता यच्छास्ति भारत। उत्तमापद्गतः सर्वः पितुः स्मरति शासनम्॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A father’s instruction is presented as a reliable guide to śreyas (true welfare). In moments of severe crisis, people naturally return to foundational counsel received from their father, implying the enduring ethical authority of parental guidance.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, addresses “Bhārata” and generalizes a moral observation: in extreme adversity, one remembers and relies upon the father’s prior teachings—framing paternal counsel as a stabilizing dharmic resource amid looming conflict and uncertainty.