Shloka 33
भृगु–भरद्वाजसंवादः: वर्णभेदस्य कर्माधारितव्याख्या
Bhrigu–Bharadvaja Dialogue: A Karma-Based Account of Varṇa
अप्राशनमसंस्पर्शमसंदर्शनमेव च । पुरुषस्यैष नियमो मन्ये श्रेयो न संशय:,“मैं ऐसा मानता हूँ कि किसी वस्तुको न खाने, न छूने और न देखनेका नियम लेना ही पुरुषके लिये कल्याणकारी है, इसमें संशय नहीं
aprāśanam asaṁsparśam asaṁdarśanam eva ca | puruṣasya eṣa niyamo manye śreyo na saṁśayaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “I hold that for a man, the discipline of refraining—of not eating, not touching, and not even looking at (the prohibited object)—is truly beneficial; of this there is no doubt.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True restraint is comprehensive: one should avoid the prohibited object at three levels—consumption (eating), contact (touching), and even sensory engagement (seeing). Such layered self-control is presented as clearly conducive to one’s welfare (śreyas).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma continues advising on disciplined living. Here he emphasizes a strict observance (niyama) of avoidance, framing it as an unequivocally beneficial ethical practice.