Shloka 19
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
उभौ हि मातापितरौ जन्मन्येवोपयुज्यत: । परंतु मेरा विश्वास यह है कि गुरुका पद पिता और मातासे भी बढ़कर है; क्योंकि माता-पिता तो केवल इस शरीरको जन्म देनेके ही उपयोगमें आते हैं ।। शरीरमेव सृजत: पिता माता च भारत
ubhāv hi mātāpitarau janmany evopayujyataḥ | parantu me viśvāsa eṣaḥ yat guroḥ padaṃ pituḥ mātur api vardhate; yato mātāpitarau kevalaṃ śarīrasya janma-dāne eva upayujyete || śarīram eva sṛjataḥ pitā mātā ca bhārata ||
毗湿摩说道：“母亲与父亲二者，确在出生之际不可或缺。然而我深信，师长的地位甚至超越父母；因为父母主要只是使此身得以成形。噢，婆罗多啊，父与母所造者，不过是这具身体而已。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes biological parenthood from formative guidance: parents give the physical body, but the guru’s role is higher because the teacher shapes character, knowledge, and dharma—what makes a person truly fit to live rightly.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma addresses the listener as ‘Bharata’ and explains why reverence for the guru is paramount, grounding the claim in the different kinds of ‘giving’—bodily birth versus ethical and intellectual formation.