Shloka 111
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
सर्वशौचेषु ब्राह्ेण तीर्थेन समुपस्पृशेत् । निष्ठीव्य तु तथा क्षुत्त्वा स्पृश्यापो हि शुचिर्भवेत्
sarvaśauceṣu brāhmeṇa tīrthena samupaspṛśet | niṣṭhīvya tu tathā kṣuttvā spṛśyāpo hi śucir bhavet ||
Bhīṣma dit : «En toute situation exigeant une purification, on doit accomplir l’ācamana en touchant (en humant) l’eau selon le ‘Brāhma-tīrtha’, la manière prescrite au brāhmaṇa. De même, après avoir craché ou éternué, le simple fait de toucher l’eau — c’est-à-dire d’accomplir l’ācamana — rend de nouveau pur.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches practical śauca (purity) discipline: ritual cleanliness is restored through the prescribed act of ācamana—touching/sipping water in the proper manner—especially after minor impurities like spitting or sneezing.
Within Bhīṣma’s extended instruction on dharma and right conduct in the Anuśāsana Parva, he gives specific rules of daily purity, explaining how a person (especially a brāhmaṇa, by the ‘Brāhma’ method) should re-establish cleanliness in common situations.