Shloka 21
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
न संदुष्यति तत् कृत्वा न च ते दूषयन्ति तम् । धर्माय यतमानानां दिदुर्देवा महर्षिभि:
na saṃduṣyati tat kṛtvā na ca te dūṣayanti tam | dharmāya yatamānānāṃ vidur devā maharṣibhiḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“即便有人冒犯了他们，也不会因此而染污；而他们这些长者也不会把那人视作染污之人。诸天与大圣仙知晓那些为达摩而勤勉者的真实分量——如父母与师长：他们出于慈爱，不把罪责加在儿子或弟子身上，却总是竭力引导他走上正法之路。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Parents and teachers, as benevolent guides toward dharma, are to be regarded as fundamentally non-condemnable; even if a son or disciple errs toward them, they do not (by nature and duty) fix lasting blame but seek to reform and lead him back to righteousness.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma after the war. Here he emphasizes the special moral status of elders—especially parents and gurus—highlighting their forgiving, corrective role recognized by gods and great seers.