Shloka 39
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
(अमावास्यामृते नित्यं दंतधावनमाचरेत् । इतिहासपुराणानि दान वेदं च नित्यश: ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca: amāvāsyām ṛte nityaṃ dantadhāvanam ācaret | itihāsapurāṇāni dānaṃ vedaṃ ca nityaśaḥ || gāyatrīmananaṃ nityaṃ kuryāt sandhyāṃ samāhitaḥ | kṛtvā mūtrapurīṣe tu rathyām ākramya vā punaḥ | pādaprakṣālanaṃ kuryāt svādhyāye bhojane tathā ||
Bhīṣma dit : Sauf le jour de nouvelle lune (amāvāsyā), qu’on se nettoie les dents chaque jour. Qu’on récite quotidiennement les Itihāsa et les Purāṇa, qu’on fasse l’aumône et qu’on étudie le Veda ; l’esprit recueilli, qu’on accomplisse le culte de Sandhyā et qu’on médite (et répète) chaque jour la Gāyatrī. Après avoir uriné et déféqué, puis encore après avoir marché sur la route, qu’on se lave les pieds ; de même avant l’étude sacrée et avant de manger.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that dharma is sustained through consistent daily discipline: personal cleanliness, regular sacred study (Veda, Itihasa, Purana), charity, focused Sandhya worship, and Gayatri contemplation, along with practical hygiene such as washing the feet after impure acts and before study or meals.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on codes of right conduct. Here he lists specific everyday observances—ritual, study, giving, and cleanliness—framing them as routine duties that cultivate purity and steadiness in a householder’s life.