Shloka 28
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
ऋतुकालाभिगामी च धर्मपत्नीषु यः सदा । वेदविद्याव्रतस्नातो विप्र: पंक्ति पुनात्युत
ṛtukālābhigāmī ca dharmapatnīṣu yaḥ sadā | vedavidyāvratasnāto vipraḥ paṅktiṃ punāty uta ||
Bhishma dijo: El brahmán que siempre se acerca solo a sus esposas legítimas, y solo en la estación debida, y que ha completado el curso disciplinado del estudio védico y del saber—ese hombre, en verdad, purifica toda la fila de brahmanes sentados juntos (en una comida comunitaria).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A person’s purity is grounded in disciplined conduct: fidelity to lawful wives, restraint by observing the proper season, and completion of Vedic learning and vows. Such integrity is portrayed as socially contagious—capable of purifying the wider community.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he describes qualities of an exemplary brahmin. Here he states that a brahmin who practices regulated marital conduct and has completed Vedic study is so pure that he sanctifies the entire dining row of brahmins.