Shloka 3

मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा

Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच मातापित्रोर्गुरूणां च पूजा बहुमता मम । इह युक्तो नरो लोकान्‌ यशश्च महदश्लुते

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca mātāpitrorgurūṇāṃ ca pūjā bahumatā mama | iha yukto naro lokān yaśaś ca mahad aśnute ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“在我看来，敬奉父母与师长最为重要。于此世勤修此善行之人，必得大名声，并于来世抵达殊胜之境。”

Word by Word

• भीष्मः: Bhishma
• भीष्मः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• माता: mother
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• पित्रोः: of (the) two parents / of father (and mother)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Dual

• गुरूणाम्: of teachers
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पूजा: worship, honoring
• पूजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• बहुमता: highly esteemed, greatly valued
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहुमत
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• मम: of me, my
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• इह: here, in this world
• इह: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह

• युक्तः: engaged, devoted
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (kta)

• नरः: a man, person
• नरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• लोकान्: worlds, realms
• लोकान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• यशः: fame
• यशः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यशस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• महत्: great
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अश्नुते: attains, obtains
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• mother
• father
• gurus (teachers/elders)
• loka (realms/worlds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that reverential service to one’s parents and teachers is a foremost dharmic duty; it yields both social virtue—great fame—and spiritual fruit—attainment of higher realms.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma addresses the king and presents a normative ethical principle: the worshipful honoring of parents and gurus as a central practice that brings worldly and otherworldly benefit.