पापात्म-धर्मात्म-लक्षणम् तथा निर्वेदेन मोक्षमार्गः | Marks of the Sinful and the Righteous; Dispassion (Nirveda) as a Path to Liberation
पुत्रपौत्रोपपन्नोडपि जननीं यः समाश्रित: । अपि वर्षशतस्यान्ते स द्विहायनवच्चरेत्
putrapautropapanno 'pi jananīṁ yaḥ samāśritaḥ | api varṣaśatasyānte sa dvi-hāyanavad caret ||
毗湿摩说道:纵然一人已得子孙满堂,若仍依附母亲的庇荫而居,那么即便到了百岁之末,在母亲面前也会像两岁孩童一般行止。
भीष्म उवाच
Outer signs of adulthood—such as having children and grandchildren—do not automatically produce inner independence. If one remains wholly sheltered by one’s mother, one may continue to act with childlike dependence; dharma calls for maturity that balances reverence for the mother with personal responsibility.
In Bhishma’s instruction during the Shanti Parva, he uses a vivid comparison: a man who still relies on his mother’s shelter behaves before her like a two-year-old, even if he is extremely old. The statement functions as a moral observation within his broader counsel on conduct and social duties.