Shloka 3
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण जपहोमैस्तथौषधै: । कर्मणा मनसा वाचा तने ब्रूहि पितामह
tapasā brahmacaryeṇa japahomais tathauṣadhaiḥ | karmaṇā manasā vācā tvaṁ me brūhi pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Par l’austérité, par la discipline du brahmacarya, par la récitation et les offrandes sacrificielles, et aussi par les remèdes—par l’acte, par l’esprit et par la parole—dis-moi, ô Grand-père, sur quoi l’être humain doit s’appuyer avant tout afin de devenir participant du bien suprême.»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical inquiry: which disciplines—asceticism, celibate restraint, mantra-recitation, fire-offering, or medicinal/remedial means—when practiced through deed, thought, and speech, most effectively lead a person to śreyas (the highest good). It emphasizes that spiritual progress is evaluated across the three channels of human agency: body (karma), mind (manas), and speech (vāc).
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Yudhiṣṭhira seeks instruction on dharma from the elder Bhīṣma (addressed as Pitāmaha). Here he asks Bhīṣma to clarify what practices a person should rely upon—across action, intention, and speech—to attain true welfare and moral-spiritual excellence.