Shloka 30
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
उपाध्यायं पितरं मातरं च येअभिद्रह्मन्ते ममसा कर्मणा वा । तेषां पापं भ्रूणहत्याविशिष्टं तस्मान्नान्य: पापकृदस्ति लोके
upādhyāyaṃ pitaraṃ mātaraṃ ca ye ’bhidrahmante manasā karmaṇā vā | teṣāṃ pāpaṃ bhrūṇahatyāviśiṣṭaṃ tasmān nānyaḥ pāpakṛd asti loke ||
Bhīṣma nói: Kẻ nào phản bội thầy, cha hay mẹ—dù bằng ý nghĩ, lời nói hay hành vi—mắc tội nặng sánh với tội sát hại bào thai. Trên đời này không có kẻ làm điều ác nào đáng trách hơn người ấy.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Betrayal or hostility toward one’s teacher, father, or mother—whether in thought or action—is presented as among the gravest moral transgressions, equated with the paradigmatic great sin of bhrūṇahatya, underscoring the centrality of gratitude, reverence, and non-harm toward one’s primary benefactors.
In the Shanti Parva’s dharma instruction, Bhishma continues his ethical teaching by ranking moral faults: he condemns treachery toward the guru and parents as exceptionally severe, using a strong comparison to emphasize their protected status within dharma.