Critical Edition
युधिष्ठिर उवाच महानयं धर्मपथो बहुशाखश्च भारत किं स्विदेवेह धर्माणामनुष्ठेयतमं मतम्
M. N. Dutt: Yudhishthira said The path of duty in long. It has also, O Bharata, many branches. What are those duties which you hold to be the best to practise.
किं कार्यं सर्वधर्माणां गरीयो भवतो मतम् यथायं पुरुषो धर्ममिह च प्रेत्य चाप्नुयात्
M. N. Dutt: What are the most important duties in your view by the practice of which I may acquire the highest merit both in this world and in the next.
भीष्म उवाच मातापित्रोर्गुरूणां च पूजा बहुमता मम अत्र युक्तो नरो लोकान्यशश्च महदश्नुते
M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said The adoration of mother, father, and preceptor is, I consider, the most important. The man, who satisfies that duty here, succeeds in winning great fame and many blessed regions.
यदेते ह्यभिजानीयुः कर्म तात सुपूजिताः धर्म्यं धर्मविरुद्धं वा तत्कर्तव्यं युधिष्ठिर
M. N. Dutt: Adored by you, whatever they will command you, be it consistent with righteousness, or be it inconsistent with it, you should carry it out unhesitatingly, O Yudhishthira.
न तैरनभ्यनुज्ञातो धर्ममन्यं प्रकल्पयेत् यमेतेऽभ्यनुजानीयुः स धर्म इति निश्चयः
M. N. Dutt: One should never do what they forbid. Forsooth, there command should always be done.
एत एव त्रयो लोका एत एवाश्रमास्त्रयः एत एव त्रयो वेदा एत एव त्रयोऽग्नयः
M. N. Dutt: They are the three worlds. They are the three modes of life. They are the three Vedas. They are the three sacred fires.
पिता ह्यग्निर्गार्हपत्यो माताग्निर्दक्षिणः स्मृतः गुरुराहवनीयस्तु साग्नित्रेता गरीयसी
AI Translation: The father is the Garhapatya fire, the mother is the Dakshina fire, and the preceptor is the Ahavaniya fire. This triad of fires is the most important.
त्रिष्वप्रमाद्यन्नेतेषु त्रीँल्लोकानवजेष्यसि पितृवृत्त्या त्विमं लोकं मातृवृत्त्या तथापरम् ब्रह्मलोकं गुरोर्वृत्त्या नित्यमेव चरिष्यसि
M. N. Dutt: By serving the father regularly one may cross this world. By serving the mother in the same way, one may enjoy blessed regions in the next. By serving the preceptor regularly, one may acquire the region of Brahma.
सम्यगेतेषु वर्तस्व त्रिषु लोकेषु भारत यशः प्राप्स्यसि भद्रं ते धर्मं च सुमहाफलम्
M. N. Dutt: Properly treat these three, O Bharata, you will then acquire great fame in the three worlds, and be you blessed, great will be your merit and reward.
नैतानतिशयेज्जातु नात्यश्नीयान्न दूषयेत् नित्यं परिचरेच्चैव तद्वै सुकृतमुत्तमम् कीर्तिं पुण्यं यशो लोकान्प्राप्स्यसे च जनाधिप
M. N. Dutt: Never transgress them in your deeds. Never eat before they eat, nor eat any thing that is better than what they eat. Never attribute any fault to them. One should always serve them humbly. That is an act of great merit.
सर्वे तस्यादृता लोका यस्यैते त्रय आदृताः अनादृतास्तु यस्यैते सर्वास्तस्याफलाः क्रियाः
AI Translation: All the worlds respect him who respects these three. But all the actions of him who does not respect these three are fruitless.
नैवायं न परो लोकस्तस्य चैव परंतप अमानिता नित्यमेव यस्यैते गुरवस्त्रयः
AI Translation: This world and the other world, O scorcher of enemies, are not for him who has these three teachers. He who is always humble towards these three teachers,
न चास्मिन्न परे लोके यशस्तस्य प्रकाशते न चान्यदपि कल्याणं पारत्रं समुदाहृतम्
M. N. Dutt: He, who always disregards these three elders never enjoys fame either in this world or in the next. Such a man never reaps any good in the next world.
तेभ्य एव तु तत्सर्वं कृत्यया विसृजाम्यहम् तदासीन्मे शतगुणं सहस्रगुणमेव च तस्मान्मे संप्रकाशन्ते त्रयो लोका युधिष्ठिर
M. N. Dutt: All that I have dedicated to the honour of those three has multiplied a hundred-fold or a thousand-fold. On account of that merit that even now, Yudhishthira, the three worlds are clearly visible to me.
दशैव तु सदाचार्यः श्रोत्रियानतिरिच्यते दशाचार्यानुपाध्याय उपाध्यायान्पिता दश
M. N. Dutt: One Acharya is superior to ten Brahmanas learned in the Vedas. One Upadhyaya is again superior to ten Acharyas. The father, again, is superior to ten Upadhyayas.
पितॄन्दश तु मातैका सर्वां वा पृथिवीमपि गुरुत्वेनाभिभवति नास्ति मातृसमो गुरुः गुरुर्गरीयान्पितृतो मातृतश्चेति मे मतिः
M. N. Dutt: The mother, again, is superior to ten fathers, or, perhaps, the whole world, there is no one so much worthy of reverence as the mother.
उभौ हि मातापितरौ जन्मनि व्युपयुज्यतः शरीरमेतौ सृजतः पिता माता च भारत आचार्यशिष्टा या जातिः सा दिव्या साजरामरा
M. N. Dutt: The father and the mother, O Bharata, only create the body. The life, on the other hand, which one acquires from his preceptor, is divine. That life suffers no decays and is imimortal.
अवध्या हि सदा माता पिता चाप्यपकारिणौ न संदुष्यति तत्कृत्वा न च ते दूषयन्ति तम् धर्माय यतमानानां विदुर्देवाः सहर्षिभिः
M. N. Dutt: The father and the inother, even if they offend you, should never be killed. By not punishing a father and a mother one does not commit sin. Indeed, such reverend persons, by escaping punishment do not stain the king. The gods and the Rishis do not withhold their favours from such persons who try to maintain even their sinful fathers reverently.
य आवृणोत्यवितथेन कर्णा;वृतं ब्रुवन्नमृतं संप्रयच्छन् तं वै मन्ये पितरं मातरं च; तस्मै न द्रुह्येत्कृतमस्य जानन्
M. N. Dutt: He, who favours a person by giving him true instruction, by communicating the Vedas, and by giving immortal knowledge, should be honoured as parents. The disciple, out of gratitude for what the instructor has done, should never do what would injure the latter.
विद्यां श्रुत्वा ये गुरुं नाद्रियन्ते; प्रत्यासन्नं मनसा कर्मणा वा यथैव ते गुरुभिर्भावनीया;स्तथा तेषां गुरवोऽप्यर्चनीयाः
M. N. Dutt: They, who do not honour their preceptors after receiving instruction from them by obeying them dutifully in thought and deed commit the sin of killing a foetus. There is no greater sinner in this world than this. Preceptors always treat their disciples with great affection. The latter should, therefore, reverse their preceptors duly.
Supplementary Passages:
12.109.20 After 20ab, Ś1 K1-4 B1.2 Dn D1.4.7 T G2-4 ins.: *248 तेषां पापं भ्रूणहत्याविशिष्टं न चास्य तद्ब्रह्मफलं ददाति
तस्मात्पूजयितव्याश्च संविभज्याश्च यत्नतः गुरवोऽर्चयितव्याश्च पुराणं धर्ममिच्छता
M. N. Dutt: He, therefore, who wishes to acquire that high merit which has existed from days of yore, should adore his preceptors and carefully share with them every object of enjoyment.
येन प्रीताश्च पितरस्तेन प्रीतः पितामहः प्रीणाति मातरं येन पृथिवी तेन पूजिता
M. N. Dutt: Prajapati himself is pleased with him who pleases his father, He, who pleases his mother, pleases the Earth herself.
येन प्रीणात्युपाध्यायं तेन स्याद्ब्रह्म पूजितम् मातृतः पितृतश्चैव तस्मात्पूज्यतमो गुरुः ऋषयश्च हि देवाश्च प्रीयन्ते पितृभिः सह
M. N. Dutt: He, who pleases his preceptor pleases Brahma. Therefore the preceptor deserves greater respect then enter the father or the mother.
Supplementary Passages:
12.109.23 After 23, N (except D7; V1 on marg.; D4 after 24) ins.: *249 पूज्यमानेषु गुरुषु तस्मात्पूज्यतमो गुरुः
न केनचन वृत्तेन ह्यवज्ञेयो गुरुर्भवेत् न च माता न च पिता तादृशो यादृशो गुरुः
M. N. Dutt: The preceptor should never in any way be dishonoured by the disciple. Neither the mother nor the father deserves the honour which the preceptor does.
न तेऽवमानमर्हन्ति न च ते दूषयन्ति तम् गुरूणामेव सत्कारं विदुर्देवाः सहर्षिभिः
M. N. Dutt: No insult should be offered to the father, the mother, and the preceptor. No act of theirs should be censured. The good and the great Rishis are pleased with him who treats his preceptors reverentially.
उपाध्यायं पितरं मातरं च; येऽभिद्रुह्यन्ति मनसा कर्मणा वा तेषां पापं भ्रूणहत्याविशिष्टं; तस्मान्नान्यः पापकृदस्ति लोके
M. N. Dutt: They, who injure in thought and deed their preceptors, or fathers, or mothers, commit the sin of killing a foetus. There is no sinner in the world equal to them.
Supplementary Passages:
12.109.26 After 26, K5 V1 B Da Dn1 D2.3.7 T G M1-3 ins.: *250 भृतो वृद्धो यो न बिभर्ति पुत्रः स्वयोनिजः पितरं मातरं च तद्वै पापं भ्रूणहत्याविशिष्टं तस्मान्नान्यः पापकृदस्ति लोके
मित्रद्रुहः कृतघ्नस्य स्त्रीघ्नस्य पिशुनस्य च चतुर्णां वयमेतेषां निष्कृतिं नानुशुश्रुमः
M. N. Dutt: We have never heard that these four, viz., he, who injures a friend, he, who is ungrateful, he, who kills a woman, and he, who kills preceptor, succeed in purifying themselves.
एतत्सर्वमतिदेशेन सृष्टं; यत्कर्तव्यं पुरुषेणेह लोके एतच्छ्रेयो नान्यदस्माद्विशिष्टं; सर्वान्धर्माननुसृत्यैतदुक्तम्
M. N. Dutt: I have described to you in general all that a person should do in this world. Besides those duties that I have described, there is nothing which yields greater happiness. Thinking of all duties, I have described to you their essence. ever