Shloka 7
मातापितृगुरुपूजा-प्रशंसा
Praise of Venerating Mother, Father, and Teacher
पिता वै गार्हपत्यो<ग्निर्मातानिनिर्दक्षिण: स्मृत: । गुरुराहवनीयस्तु साग्नित्रेता गरीयसी
bhīṣma uvāca | pitā vai gārhapatyo 'gnir mātā cāgnir dakṣiṇaḥ smṛtaḥ | gurur āhavanīyas tu sāgnitretā garīyasī ||
毗湿摩说道：“父亲确应视为家火——伽尔哈帕提耶火（Gārhapatya）；母亲被忆念为达克希那火（Dakṣiṇa）；师长则是阿哈瓦尼耶火（Āhavanīya）之化身。故父母与师所体现的这三重‘圣火’，其尊贵胜过寻常祭仪之火。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Parents and the teacher deserve the same (or greater) reverence as the sacred ritual fires; serving and honoring them is presented as a central ethical duty within dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma in the Shanti Parva, he uses Vedic ritual symbolism—identifying father, mother, and guru with the three fires—to emphasize their supreme sanctity and the obligation to honor them.