Shloka 21
Ātma-saṃyama-dharma: One-pointedness of Mind and Senses (शुक–व्यास संवादः)
नाभुक्तवति चाश्रीयादपीतवति नो पिबेत् । नातिष्ठति तथा55सीत नासुप्ते प्रस्वपेत च
nābhuktavati cāśrīyād apītavati no pibet | nātiṣṭhati tathāsīta nāsuptē prasvapeta ca ||
Vyāsa said: One should not eat before one’s teacher has eaten, nor drink before the teacher has drunk. Likewise, one should not sit down before the teacher has sat, and should not go to sleep before the teacher has slept.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A student should practice visible, daily forms of respect and self-control: do not eat, drink, sit, or sleep ahead of the teacher. Reverence is shown through disciplined conduct, not merely words.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa lays down rules of proper conduct (ācāra) for a disciple, emphasizing attentive service and deference to the ācārya in ordinary routines.