Shloka 17
Karma-Phala Rahasya and the Ethics of Dāna (कर्मफल-रहस्यं दानधर्मश्च)
स्त्रियस्त्रिषवर्णं स्नात्वा वायुं पीत्वा क्रतुं लभेत् । स्वर्ग सत्येन लभते दीक्षया कुलमुत्तमम्
striyaḥ triṣavarṇaṁ snātvā vāyuṁ pītvā kratuṁ labhet | svargaṁ satyena labhate dīkṣayā kulam uttamam ||
Bhīṣma dit : En renonçant aux plaisirs liés aux femmes, en se baignant aux trois temps prescrits, et en vivant dans une austérité extrême, comme si l’on « buvait le vent », on obtient le mérite d’un sacrifice (yajña). Par la vérité l’homme gagne le ciel, et par la dīkṣā—la discipline consacrée—il obtient une lignée excellente, c’est-à-dire une noblesse et une pureté de tradition familiale.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma links inner discipline to spiritual results: severe restraint and purity of conduct can yield the merit of sacrifice; truthfulness leads to heaven; and disciplined consecration (dīkṣā) elevates one’s ‘kula’—understood as noble standing sustained by vows and purified conduct.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he summarizes a set of ascetic and ethical observances—continence/restraint, thrice-daily bathing, austere living, truthfulness, and dīkṣā—by stating the corresponding fruits they are said to produce.