Shloka 3
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
पुरीषं यदि वा मूत्र ये न कुर्वन्ति मानवा: । राजमार्गे गवां मध्ये धान्यमध्ये च ते शुभा:,जो मनुष्य सड़कपर, गौओंके बीचमें और अनाजमें मल या मूत्रका त्याग नहीं करते हैं, वे श्रेष्ठ समझे जाते हैं
purīṣaṃ yadi vā mūtraṃ ye na kurvanti mānavāḥ | rāja-mārge gavāṃ madhye dhānya-madhye ca te śubhāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Those people who do not relieve themselves—whether feces or urine—on the king’s highway, among cattle, or amidst stored grain are regarded as virtuous and well-bred. This teaching declares that everyday restraint and cleanliness are marks of dharma, guarding public ways, living creatures, and communal stores from defilement.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma includes everyday discipline: one should not defile public roads, cattle areas, or grain stores with excreta or urine. Such restraint reflects cleanliness, respect for others, and protection of shared resources.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on righteous conduct. Here he lists a practical mark of good character—maintaining purity and propriety in communal and sacredly valued spaces (roads, cattle, and grain).