आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
पतितैस्तु कथां नेच्छेद् दर्शनं च विवर्जयेत् । संसर्ग च न गच्छेत तथा<<युर्विन्दते महत्
patitais tu kathāṁ necched darśanaṁ ca vivarjayet | saṁsargaṁ ca na gaccheta tathā āyur vindate mahat ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: No debe uno buscar conversación con los caídos (los degradados en la moral), debe evitar incluso verlos, y no debe entrar en trato ni asociación con ellos. Por tal apartamiento disciplinado se dice que el hombre alcanza larga vida, pues su conducta y su pureza quedan resguardadas de la influencia corruptora.
भीष्म उवाच
Bhīṣma teaches that one should guard one’s character by avoiding conversation, sight, and close association with morally fallen people; such restraint preserves one’s dharma and is traditionally linked with health and longevity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues giving Yudhiṣṭhira practical rules of conduct (ācāra). Here he emphasizes social boundaries—shunning corrupting company as a means to protect virtue and well-being.