Shloka 75
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
प्रत्यादित्य॑ प्रत्यनलं प्रति गां च प्रति द्विजान् ये मेहन्ति च पन्थानं ते भवन्ति गतायुष:
pratyādityaṁ pratyanalaṁ prati gāṁ ca prati dvijān ye mehanti ca panthānaṁ te bhavanti gatāyuṣaḥ
Bhīṣma sprach: Wer urinierend der Sonne zugewandt ist, dem Feuer zugewandt, in Richtung einer Kuh oder in Richtung der Brāhmaṇas — und wer mitten auf dem Weg uriniert — gilt als „kurzlebig“, denn solche Taten verletzen grundlegende Maßstäbe von Reinheit, Ehrfurcht und öffentlicher Sittsamkeit, wie sie der Dharma lehrt.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches basic dharmic etiquette: one should not perform impure acts in a manner that shows disrespect toward sacred beings (Sun, fire, cow, Brāhmaṇas) or that harms public cleanliness (urinating on a roadway). Such breaches of reverence and propriety are warned to bring adverse consequences, expressed as ‘short life.’
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he lists specific everyday prohibitions as part of āchāra (codes of behavior), emphasizing purity and respect in ordinary actions.