Shloka 42
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
नित्यमग्निं परिचरेद् भिक्षां दद्याच्च नित्यदा | वाग्यतो दन्तकाषछं च नित्यमेव समाचरेत्
bhīṣma uvāca |
nityam agniṁ paricared bhikṣāṁ dadyāc ca nityadā |
vāgyato dantakāṣṭhaṁ ca nityam eva samācaret |
Bhīṣma sprach: „Man soll regelmäßig das heilige Feuer pflegen und stets Almosen geben. Man soll die Rede zügeln und täglich den Ritus des Zähnereinigens mit einem Zahnstock vollziehen — so bewahrt man fortwährende Disziplin im Verhalten.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches a disciplined dharmic routine: maintain sacred duties (tending the ritual fire), practice generosity (giving alms), cultivate self-control (restraint in speech), and uphold daily purity practices (using the tooth-stick). Together these form steady ethical conduct rather than occasional piety.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma through practical rules of conduct. This verse is part of a prescriptive passage listing everyday observances that sustain personal purity, social responsibility, and religious order.