Shloka 5
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 178 — Royal Contestants Assemble; Cosmic Witnesses; The Bow Remains Unstrung
स तात इति विप्रर्षिवसिष्ठं प्रत्यभाषत । मातु: समक्ष कौन्तेय अदृश्यन्त्या: परंतप,परंतप कुन्तीकुमार! एक दिन ब्रह्मर्षि पराशरने अपनी माता अदृश्यन्तीके सामने ही वसिष्ठजीको “तात” कहकर पुकारा
sa tāta iti viprarṣi-vasiṣṭhaṃ pratyabhāṣata | mātuḥ samakṣaṃ kaunteya adṛśyantyāḥ paraṃtapa ||
乾闼婆说道：“噢，昆蒂之子，焚敌者！就在其母阿德利什延蒂（Adṛśyantī）面前，婆罗门圣仙波罗舍罗（Parāśara）称呼圣者婆悉吒为‘塔塔’（tāta）——‘慈父’。”
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic conduct through respectful speech: honoring venerable elders and spiritual authorities openly, using appropriate forms of address, reinforces humility and the continuity of sacred tradition.
A Gandharva narrates to a Kaunteya (son of Kuntī) that the sage Parāśara, in the presence of his mother Adṛśyantī, addressed the sage Vasiṣṭha as “tāta” (“dear father”), indicating deep reverence and acknowledgment of Vasiṣṭha’s senior spiritual status.