Shloka 11
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
भीष्मजीने कहा--युधिष्ठिर! जो मनुष्य केवल प्रात:काल और सायंकाल ही भोजन करता है, बीचमें कुछ नहीं खाता, उसे सदा उपवासी समझना चाहिये ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca—Yudhiṣṭhira! yaḥ puruṣaḥ kevalaṁ prātaḥkālaṁ sāyaṁkālaṁ ca bhuṅkte, madhye kiñcid api na aśnāti, sa sadā upavāsī iti mantavyaḥ. Bhāryāṁ gacchan brahmacārī ṛtau bhavati caiva ha; ṛtuvādī sadā ca syād dānaśīlas tu mānavaḥ.
Bhishma dijo: «¡Oh Yudhisthira! Al hombre que come sólo al alba y al ocaso, sin tomar nada entre medias, debe tenérsele por quien ayuna continuamente. Del mismo modo, aquel que se acerca a su esposa legítima únicamente en su estación fértil ha de contarse como brahmacārin (practicante de continencia). Y quien se entrega al dar, debe entenderse como alguien siempre comprometido con la verdad».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma broadens ethical categories: regulated eating counts as continual fasting; regulated marital conduct counts as brahmacarya for a householder; and habitual generosity is treated as a practical marker of truthfulness—because giving reflects integrity and freedom from grasping.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira on dharma, giving concrete, socially grounded standards for austerity, continence, and moral character within ordinary life.