Shloka 17
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
नेक्षेतादित्यमुद्यन्तं न च नग्नां परस्त्रियम् । मैथुनं सततं धर्म्य गुद्दो चैव समाचरेत्
nekṣetādityam udyantaṁ na ca nagnāṁ parastriyam | maithunaṁ satataṁ dharmyaṁ ṛtukāle svadārayā sahaikānte samācaret ||
قال بهيشما: لا ينبغي أن يحدّق المرء في الشمس عند طلوعها، ولا أن يرسل بصره إلى زوجة رجلٍ آخر وهي عارية. وليكن الجماع على وجهٍ قويم وفق الدارما—في الوقت الملائم—ولا يكون إلا مع الزوجة، وفي خلوةٍ وستْر.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined conduct for a householder: restrain the senses (especially sight), avoid improper or lustful looking, and treat sexual activity as a dharmic act—limited to one’s lawful spouse, at the appropriate time, and in privacy.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he gives practical rules of personal restraint and household ethics, emphasizing modesty, propriety, and regulated marital life.