Shloka 37
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
ततो हि पावनात्पंक्त्या: पंक्तिपावन उच्यते । क्रोशादर्धतृतीयाच्च पावयेदेक एव हि
tato hi pāvanāt paṅktyāḥ paṅktipāvana ucyate | krośād ardhatṛtīyāc ca pāvayed eka eva hi ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Darum, weil er sogar eine ganze Reihe (von Speisenden oder Verwandten) zu läutern vermag, heißt er der ‚Läuter der Reihe‘. Wahrlich, schon ein einziger solcher Mensch kann (andere) aus einer Entfernung von einem krośa reinigen, ja sogar noch aus der Hälfte eines Drittels (dieser Strecke).“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person of exceptional purity/merit is believed to sanctify not only himself but also a whole group associated with him; moral and ritual excellence is portrayed as radiating outward, benefiting others even at a distance.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he explains why such a person is termed ‘paṅktipāvana’—one whose presence purifies an entire row/company—and emphasizes the extraordinary reach of that purifying influence.