Shloka 17
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
गुरुरग्र्य: परो धर्म: पोषणाध्यापनान्वित: । पिता यदाह धर्म: स वेदेष्वपि सुनिश्चित:
gurur agryaḥ paro dharmaḥ poṣaṇādhyāpanānvitāḥ | pitā yad āha dharmaḥ sa vedeṣv api suniścitaḥ ||
Itinuro ni Bhishma na: “Ang ama ang pinakadakilang guro sapagkat siya ang nag-aaruga at nagtuturo sa anak. Dahil dito, siya ang sagisag ng pinakamataas na dharma. Anumang iutos ng ama ay dapat tanggapin bilang tungkulin, sapagkat pinagtitibay rin ito ng mga Veda bilang isang tiyak na tuntunin ng katuwiran.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A father is the primary guru because he both sustains and educates; therefore honoring and following a father’s rightful instruction is presented as a form of supreme dharma, supported by Vedic authority.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira on ethical duties within social and family life, emphasizing the father’s role as teacher and the moral weight of his guidance.