Shloka 24
पितृयज्ञे नारायणतत्त्वम् — The Nārāyaṇa Grounding of Ancestral Offerings
पितृभक्तो दृढतपा: पितु: सुदयित: सुतः । अनन्यमनसा तेन कथं पित्रा विसर्जित:
pitṛbhakto dṛḍhatapāḥ pituḥ sudayitaḥ sutaḥ | ananyamanasā tena kathaṁ pitrā visarjitaḥ ||
尸迦说道：“他坚住苦行，孝敬其父，又是父亲极其钟爱的儿子。父亲的心念唯系于他一人；即便如此，父亲又怎能放他离去？”
शुक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral tension central to dharma: even when love and attachment are strong (a beloved, dutiful son), a higher duty or spiritual necessity may require letting go. It invites reflection on when permission, release, or renunciation is ethically appropriate despite personal affection.
Śuka questions an apparent contradiction in the story: the son is described as intensely devoted, austere, and dearly loved, with an undivided mind—yet the father still allows him to leave. The line functions as a prompt for the next explanation of the circumstances and principles that justified the father’s decision.