Shloka 46
अकृत्वा देवपूजां च नाभिगच्छेत् कदाचन । अन्यत्र तु गुरुं वृद्ध धार्मिक वा विचक्षणम्,देवपूजा किये बिना गुरु, वृद्ध, धार्मिक तथा विद्वान् पुरुषको छोड़कर दूसरे किसीके पास न जाय
akṛtvā devapūjāṃ ca nābhigacchet kadācana | anyatra tu guruṃ vṛddhaṃ dhārmikaṃ vā vicakṣaṇam ||
Bhishma said: “One should never go to meet anyone without first performing worship of the gods. The only exception is when one goes to a guru, an elder, or a person who is righteous or discerning.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain a disciplined, reverent daily conduct: begin engagements with divine worship, while recognizing that service to a guru, elders, and truly righteous or wise persons is itself an urgent and sanctifying duty that may be approached even without prior ritual.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he gives a practical rule of etiquette and spirituality: ordinarily worship first, then go about social interactions, with an explicit exception for approaching teachers, elders, and virtuous or discerning people.