Shloka 75
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
प्रत्यादित्य॑ प्रत्यनलं प्रति गां च प्रति द्विजान् ये मेहन्ति च पन्थानं ते भवन्ति गतायुष:
pratyādityaṁ pratyanalaṁ prati gāṁ ca prati dvijān ye mehanti ca panthānaṁ te bhavanti gatāyuṣaḥ
Bhīṣma dijo: Quienes orinan de cara al Sol, de cara al fuego, hacia una vaca o hacia los brāhmaṇas —y quienes orinan en medio del camino— son tenidos por ‘de vida corta’, pues tales actos quebrantan las normas básicas de pureza, reverencia y decoro público enseñadas por el dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches basic dharmic etiquette: one should not perform impure acts in a manner that shows disrespect toward sacred beings (Sun, fire, cow, Brāhmaṇas) or that harms public cleanliness (urinating on a roadway). Such breaches of reverence and propriety are warned to bring adverse consequences, expressed as ‘short life.’
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he lists specific everyday prohibitions as part of āchāra (codes of behavior), emphasizing purity and respect in ordinary actions.