Shloka 40
सायंप्रातर्मनुष्पयाणामशन देवनिर्मितम् । नान्तरा भोजन दृष्टमुपवासविधिहिं स:
sāyaṃprātar manuṣyāṇām aśanaṃ devanirmitam | nāntarā bhojanaṃ dṛṣṭam upavāsavidhir hi saḥ |
Bhishma dit : Pour les êtres humains, les dieux ont prescrit de ne manger qu’à deux moments—le matin et le soir. Nulle règle n’est vue qui autorise la nourriture entre les deux. En observant cette retenue, on obtient le mérite d’un jeûne. Et dans cet ordre moral, le maître de maison, discipliné, doit aussi être le protecteur et l’accueillant de tous—hôtes, serviteurs, proches et ceux qui cherchent asile—afin que la maîtrise de soi soutienne le devoir envers la société.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain disciplined eating—only morning and evening meals, avoiding food in between—so that restraint itself yields the merit associated with fasting; this personal discipline is aligned with the broader dharma of supporting and welcoming others (guests, dependents, kin, and refugees).
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he lays down a normative rule of conduct for householders: regulated meal-times as divinely ordained, and the ethical expectation that one’s life be oriented toward protection and hospitality for those connected to or dependent on the householder.