Shloka 57
Adhyāya 90: Babhruvāhana’s Reception and the Commencement of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Aśvamedha
भवान् हि परिपाल्यो मे सर्वदैव प्रयत्नतः । साधूनां काड्क्षितं यस्मात् पितुर्वद्धस्य पालनम्
bhavān hi paripālyo me sarvadaiva prayatnataḥ | sādhūnāṁ kāṅkṣitaṁ yasmāt pitur vṛddhasya pālanam ||
“我确当时时以尽心之力奉养于您；因为善人所期望的，正是我能奉养年迈之父。”由此，儿子以孝养之责为达摩之要——侍奉双亲，尤在暮年，更为贤德之士所称颂的道德典范。
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that caring for one’s parents—especially an aged father—is a primary duty (dharma). The son frames this care as a constant, deliberate responsibility and as conduct esteemed by the virtuous.
A son addresses his father (or an elder in the father’s role) and declares his resolve to protect and maintain him continually. He justifies this vow by appealing to the moral expectations of sādhus, who value the proper support of elderly parents.