Shloka 49
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
न भग्ने नावशीर्णे च शयने प्रस्वपीत च । नान्तर्थाने न संयुक्ते न च तिर्यक् कदाचन
na bhagne nāvaśīrṇe ca śayane prasvapīta ca | nāntarthāne na saṃyukte na ca tiryak kadācana ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Man soll nicht auf einem Bett schlafen, das gebrochen oder locker ist. Man soll sich nicht auf eine Lagerstätte legen, die im Dunkeln steht, ohne sie zuvor bei Licht geprüft zu haben. Man soll nicht mit einer anderen Person im selben Bett schlafen. Ebenso soll man niemals quer liegen; man soll gerade liegen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma includes careful, disciplined daily conduct: avoid unsafe or improper sleeping arrangements (broken bed, darkness without checking, sharing a bed), and maintain orderly posture—habits that protect safety, modesty, and self-control.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on codes of right conduct (ācāra). Here he gives practical household guidance about how and where one should sleep, presenting everyday prudence as a moral duty.