Shloka 26
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
माता देहारणि: पुंसां सर्वस्यार्तस्य निर्व॒ति: । मातृलाभे सनाथत्वमनाथत्वं विपर्यये
mātā dehāraṇiḥ puṁsāṁ sarvasyārtasya nirvṛtiḥ | mātṛlābhe sanāthatvam anāthatvaṁ viparyaye ||
ماں انسانوں کے جسمانی آگ کو ظاہر کرنے والی اَرَنی ہے۔ ہر رنجیدہ جاندار کے لیے وہی راحت اور تسکین کا سرچشمہ ہے۔ جب تک ماں موجود ہو، آدمی اپنے آپ کو سہارا یافتہ سمجھتا ہے؛ اور جب وہ نہ رہے تو وہ حقیقتاً یتیم ہو جاتا ہے۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the ethical and emotional centrality of the mother: she is the primary source of life’s nurture and the foremost refuge for the distressed; her presence gives a sense of protection (sanāthatva), and her absence creates profound vulnerability (anāthatva).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma is teaching Yudhishthira through moral reflections; here he highlights the mother’s unique role as the giver of embodied life and as the natural shelter and consolation for suffering beings.