Shloka 1196
ज्येष्ठ-कनिष्ठ-धर्मः — Duties of Elders and Juniors
Anuśāsana-parva 108
पानीयस्य क्रिया नक्तं न कार्या भूतिमिच्छता । अपना कल्याण चाहनेवाले पुरुषको रातमें श्राद्धकर्म नहीं करना चाहिये। भोजन करके केशोंका संस्कार (क्षौरकर्म) भी नहीं करना चाहिये तथा रातमें जलसे स्नान करना भी उचित नहीं है
pānīyasya kriyā naktaṃ na kāryā bhūtim icchatā |
Bhīṣma said: “One who seeks welfare and prosperity should not perform at night the rites connected with drinking-water.” In the discipline of proper conduct (ācāra), certain purificatory and ritual acts—especially those tied to śrāddha, bodily grooming such as shaving or arranging the hair after eating, and bathing with water at night—are to be avoided by one intent on auspicious well-being.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches ācāra: a person seeking auspicious welfare (bhūti) should avoid certain prescribed rites at night—here, specifically the ‘pānīya-kriyā’ (a ritual/procedural act connected with drinking-water), implying that timing and propriety are integral to dharma.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and proper conduct. This verse is part of that didactic sequence, giving a rule about what should not be done at night for one aiming at auspicious well-being.