Shloka 53
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
स्रजश्न नावकृष्येत न बहिर्धारयीत च । उदक्यया च सम्भाषां न कुर्वीत कदाचन,गलेमें पड़ी हुई मालाको कभी न खींचे। उसे कपड़ेके ऊपर न धारण करे। रजस्वला सत्रीके साथ कभी बातचीत न करे
srajaś ca nāvakṛṣyet na bahirdhārayīta ca | udakyayā ca sambhāṣāṃ na kurvīta kadācana ||
Bhīṣma sprach: Man soll nicht an der um den Hals getragenen Blumengirlande zerren und sie auch nicht außen über der Kleidung tragen. Und man soll niemals mit einer menstruierenden Frau sprechen.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse lays down rules of personal and ritual decorum: maintain disciplined bodily conduct (even in small acts like handling a garland), avoid ostentatious or improper wearing of items, and observe traditional restrictions regarding interaction with a menstruating woman, framed as a matter of ritual purity and prescribed social conduct.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct (ācāra). This verse is part of a didactic sequence of behavioral injunctions, presenting specific do’s and don’ts as norms for a disciplined life.