Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 1310
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
ब्राह्म॒णार्थे च यच्छौचं तच्च मे शृूणु कौरव । पवित्र च हितं चैव भोजनाद्यन्तयोस्तथा
brāhmaṇārthe ca yacchaucaṃ tac ca me śṛṇu kaurava | pavitraṃ ca hitaṃ caiva bhojanādyantayos tathā ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O Kaurava, höre von mir von jener Reinheit (śauca), die um der Brahmanen willen zu beachten ist. Sie ist zugleich heiligend und heilsam — besonders im Hinblick auf den Beginn und das Ende des Essens (das heißt: die rechten Vorschriften rund um die Speise).“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma introduces the doctrine of śauca—purity in conduct and observance—framed as both purifying and beneficial, and he signals that special care is required around food, particularly the proper practices at the start and completion of eating.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he transitions into guidance on purity practices connected with Brahmins and with meal-related observances, setting up more detailed rules that follow.