Shloka 23
पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
मुच्यते बन्धनात् पुष्पं फल वक्षात् प्रमुच्यते । क्लिश्यन्नपि सुतं स्नेहै: पिता पुत्र न मुडचति
bhīṣma uvāca | mucyate bandhanāt puṣpaṃ phalaṃ vṛkṣāt pramucyate | kliśyann api sutaṃ snehaiḥ pitā putra na muñcati ||
Bhishma nói: “Hoa rời khỏi cuống; quả lìa khỏi cây. Nhưng người cha, dẫu bị khốn khó bủa vây, vẫn không bỏ rơi đứa con trai mình đã nuôi nấng bằng tình thương. Đó là mối dây bền chặt của tình phụ mẫu, khó lòng bị cắt đứt ngay cả trong đau khổ.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Natural objects separate from their supports (flower from stalk, fruit from tree), but the ethical point is that a father’s responsibility and affection toward his son is not easily severed; parental duty persists even amid personal suffering.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs on dharma and conduct. Here he uses a simple nature-based analogy to emphasize the strength of familial bonds—especially the father’s attachment and obligation to the son he has raised with love.