Shloka 186
Nakṣatra-yoga-anusāreṇa Dāna-vidhiḥ
Gifts prescribed according to lunar mansions and yogas
दमस्त्यागो धृति: सत्यं भवत्यवभूथाय ते । सब प्राणियोंके प्रति अहिंसाका भाव रखना
damo tyāgo dhṛtiḥ satyaṁ bhavaty avabhūthāya te | sarva-prāṇiṣu cāhiṁsā-bhāvaḥ sarvebhyo yathā-yogya-bhāga-pradānaṁ indriya-saṁyamaḥ tyāgaḥ dhairyaṁ satyam—ete guṇās te yajñānte kriyamāṇasya avabhūtha-snānasya phalaṁ dāsyanti ||
Bhishma dit : «La maîtrise de soi, le renoncement, la constance et la véracité seront pour toi le véritable fruit, tel le fruit du bain d’avabhṛtha qui clôt un sacrifice. Garder l’esprit d’ahimsa envers tous les êtres, offrir à chacun la part qui lui revient selon ce qui convient, gouverner les sens, pratiquer le don et le détachement, demeurer patient et ferme, et dire la vérité : ces vertus mêmes donnent le mérite que les hommes recherchent au terme du bain rituel.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that ethical virtues—non-violence toward all beings, giving each their due, sense-control, renunciation, patience/fortitude, and truth—are the real ‘fruit’ of ritual acts. Inner discipline and moral conduct are presented as equal to (or the true completion of) the external sacrificial conclusion.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he reframes sacrificial merit: instead of focusing on the external avabhūtha bath at a yajña’s end, he emphasizes that the lasting completion of religious life is achieved through sustained moral qualities and compassionate conduct.