Shloka 35

पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation

Devanagari script

माता जानाति यद्वोत्र माता जानाति यस्य स: | मातुर्भरणमात्रेण प्रीति: स्नेह: पितु: प्रजा:,'पुत्रका गोत्र क्या है? यह माता जानती है। वह किस पिताका पुत्र है? यह भी माता ही जानती है। माता बालकको अपने गर्भमें धारण करती है, इसलिये उसीका उसपर अधिक स्नेह और प्रेम होता है। पिताका तो अपनी संतानपर प्रभुत्वमात्र है

Transliteration

mātā jānāti yad vo ’tra mātā jānāti yasya saḥ | mātur bharaṇamātreṇa prītiḥ snehaḥ pituḥ prajāḥ ||

Translation

Wika ni Bhishma: “Ang ina ang nakaaalam ng tunay na angkan; ang ina ang nakaaalam kung kaninong anak siya. Sapagkat ang ina lamang ang nagdadala at nagtataguyod sa bata, sa kanya higit na sumisibol ang pag-ibig at malalim na paglalambing. Ang ugnayan ng ama sa supling, kung ihahambing, ay kadalasang kapangyarihan at pag-angkin ayon sa lipunan.”

Word by Word

• {'mātā': 'mother', 'jānāti': 'knows', 'yad': 'what

• that which', 'atra': 'here

• in this matter', 'yasya': 'of whom

• whose', 'saḥ': 'he', 'mātuḥ': 'of the mother', 'bharaṇa-mātreṇa': 'by the mere act of bearing/sustaining (alone)', 'prītiḥ': 'affection

• fondness', 'snehaḥ': 'tender love

• intimacy', 'pituḥ': 'of the father', 'prajāḥ': 'offspring

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• mother
• father
• offspring/children

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the mother’s primary, intimate bond with the child—she bears and sustains the child and therefore knows the child’s lineage and paternity most certainly; the father’s connection is portrayed as more juridical or authoritative than emotionally primary.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and social conduct, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira about family relations and the ethical recognition of motherhood, highlighting maternal certainty and affection in contrast to paternal authority.