Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 51
श्मश्रुकर्मणि मड़ल्यं क्षुतानामभिनन्दनम् । व्याधितानां च सर्वेषामायुषामभिनन्दनम्
śmaśrukarmaṇi māṅgalyaṁ kṣutānām abhinandanam | vyādhitānāṁ ca sarveṣām āyuṣām abhinandanam ||
Bhīṣma said: “At the time of grooming the moustache and beard, one should utter auspicious words. One should bless a person who sneezes (with wishes such as ‘may you live long’), and one should also greet all who are ill with benedictions, expressing a hope for their longevity.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches sadācāra: everyday acts should be accompanied by auspicious speech and compassionate benedictions—blessing a sneezer and wishing longevity to the sick—so that one’s conduct supports well-being and social harmony.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he lists customary practices of polite, auspicious speech connected with grooming, sneezing, and illness.