Shloka 93
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
न पाणौ लवणं दिद्वान् प्राश्नीयान्न च रात्रिषु दधिसक्तून् न भुज्जीत वृथा मांसं च वर्जयेत्
na pāṇau lavaṇaṁ vidvān prāśnīyān na ca rātriṣu dadhisaktūn na bhuñjīta vṛthā māṁsaṁ ca varjayet
Bhishma sprach: Ein Weiser soll nicht das Salz lecken, das in die Handfläche gelegt wurde. Auch soll er nachts keinen Quark/Joghurt essen, der mit geröstetem Mehl (sattu) vermischt ist. Und er soll dem Fleisch gänzlich entsagen, da er es als unziemliche Speise und vermeidbaren Genuss betrachtet.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined, mindful eating as a component of dharma: avoid crude or improper habits (licking salt from the palm), avoid certain combinations or timings (curd with sattu at night), and renounce meat as an ethically and spiritually undesirable indulgence.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on righteous conduct. Here he gives practical rules of personal discipline—especially dietary restraints—framing them as marks of a wise person and as supports for purity and self-control.