Shloka 5
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
सूर्य सदोपतिष्ठेत न च सूर्योदये स्वपेत् । सायं प्रातर्जपेत् संध्यां तिष्ठन् पूर्वां तथेतराम्
sūryaṃ sadopatiṣṭheta na ca sūryodaye svapet | sāyaṃ prātar japet sandhyāṃ tiṣṭhan pūrvāṃ tathetarām ||
Bhīṣma said: One should regularly stand in reverence to the Sun, and should never sleep at sunrise. At both twilight times—evening and morning—one should perform the sandhyā worship and recite the Gāyatrī mantra, standing and facing east at dawn and the appropriate opposite direction at dusk. This teaching emphasizes disciplined daily conduct, wakefulness at auspicious times, and devotion expressed through steady ritual practice.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain disciplined daily dharma: honor the Sun regularly, avoid sleeping at sunrise, and perform sandhyā worship with Gāyatrī recitation at both morning and evening twilights.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma advises practical daily observances—sun-reverence and sandhyā rites—as part of a regulated, ethically grounded life.