Shloka 112
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
ब्राह्मणको प्रत्येक शुद्धिके कार्यमें ब्राह्मतीर्थसी आचमन करना चाहिये। थूकने और छींकनेके बाद झलका स्पर्श (आचमन) करनेसे वह शुद्ध होता है ।। वृद्धो ज्ञातिस्तथा मित्र दरिद्रो यो भवेदपि । (कुलीन: पण्डित इति रक्ष्या निःस्वा: स्वशक्तितः ।) गृहे वासयितव्यास्ते धन्यमायुष्यमेव च,बूढ़े कुटुम्बी, दरिद्र मित्र और कुलीन पण्डित यदि निर्धन हों तो उनकी यथाशक्ति रक्षा करनी चाहिये। उन्हें अपने घरपर ठहराना चाहिये। इससे धन और आयुकी वृद्धि होती है
bhīṣma uvāca | brāhmaṇo pratyeka-śuddhike kārye brāhma-tīrthena ācamanaṁ kartavyaṁ | niṣṭhīvana-chardana-kṣavathu-kṛteṣu jala-sparśa-ācamana-mātreṇa sa śuddhyati || vṛddho jñātis tathā mitraṁ daridro yo bhaved api | (kulīnaḥ paṇḍita iti rakṣyā niḥsvāḥ svaśaktitaḥ) | gṛhe vāsayitavyās te dhanyam āyuṣyam eva ca ||
Bhīṣma said: “A brāhmaṇa should perform sipping of water (ācamana) with the ‘brāhma-tīrtha’ in every act of purification. After spitting or sneezing, mere touching of water—i.e., performing ācamana—restores purity. Likewise, an aged kinsman, a poor friend, and even a learned person of good family who has become destitute should be protected according to one’s capacity. Such people should be given lodging in one’s home; doing so brings increase of prosperity and longevity.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Two duties are emphasized: (1) maintain ritual purity through ācamana, even after minor impurities like spitting or sneezing; (2) practice compassionate household dharma by protecting and hosting the elderly, relatives, friends, and learned but impoverished persons according to one’s means—an act said to yield prosperity and long life.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising on dharma. Here he gives practical rules of cleanliness for brāhmaṇas and then shifts to social ethics, urging care and hospitality toward vulnerable people within one’s circle and toward destitute scholars.