Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.7.28
पुत्राणां हि परो धर्म: पितृशुश्रूषणं सताम् ।
अपि पुत्रवतां ब्रह्मन् किमुत ब्रह्मचारिणाम् ॥ २८ ॥
putrāṇāṁ hi paro dharmaḥ
[putraanaam hi paro dharmah]
pitṛ-śuśrūṣaṇaṁ satām
[pitri-shushrooshanam sataam]
api putravatāṁ brahman
[api putravataam brahman]
kim uta brahmacāriṇām
[kim uta brahmachaarinaam]
Word-for-word
putrāṇām
—
of sons
hi
—
indeed
paraḥ
—
superior
dharmaḥ
—
religious principle
pitṛ-śuśrūṣaṇam
—
the service of the parents
satām
—
good
api
—
even
putra-vatām
—
of those who have sons
brahman
—
O dear brāhmaṇa
kim uta
—
what to speak
brahmacāriṇām
—
of brahmacārīs..
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
putrāṇāṁ hi paro dharmaḥ
putrāṇām
of sons
hi
indeed
paraḥ
superior
dharmaḥ
religious principle
pitṛ-śuśrūṣaṇaṁ satām
pitṛ-śuśrūṣaṇam
the service of the parents
satām
good
api putravatāṁ brahman
api
even
putra-vatām
of those who have sons
brahman
O dear brāhmaṇa
kim uta brahmacāriṇām
kim uta
what to speak
brahmacāriṇām
of brahmacārīs..
O brāhmaṇa, the highest duty of a son, even though he has sons of his own, is to serve his parents, and what to speak of a son who is a brahmacārī?
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
O brāhmaṇa! The highest duty of a son, even though he has sons of his own, is to serve his parents, and what to speak of a son who is a brahmacārī?
Personal Guidance
Even a son with his own sons must serve his parents — how much more a brahmacārī? The duty to elders does not retire when one becomes elder oneself.
Reflection Questions
- Where have I treated my own progression as graduation from serving my elders?
- Whom in the older generation does my service still rightly belong to?
My note
Source: vedabase.io