Shloka 24
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
प्रत्यादित्यं न मेहेत न पश्येदात्मन: शकृत् । सह स्त्रियाथ शयनं सह भोज्यं च वर्जयेत्
pratyādityaṃ na meheta na paśyed ātmanaḥ śakṛt | saha striyātha śayanaṃ saha bhojyaṃ ca varjayet ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: No debe uno orinar de cara al sol, ni mirar sus propios excrementos. Debe también evitar compartir el mismo lecho con una mujer y comer juntos de un mismo plato. Todo ello se enseña como disciplina de pureza y contención dentro de la conducta recta.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches standards of personal conduct (ācāra) aimed at purity, modesty, and restraint: respecting the sun by not urinating toward it, maintaining cleanliness and decorum, and observing boundaries in intimate and communal habits such as sleeping and eating arrangements.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he lists practical behavioral rules—everyday disciplines that support ethical living and social propriety.