Shloka 20
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
परिचित मनुष्यसे जब-जब भेंट हो, सदा उसका कुशल-समाचार पूछे। सायंकाल और प्रातः:काल दोनों समय ब्राह्मणोंको प्रणाम करे, यह शास्त्रकी आज्ञा है ।।
paricita-manuṣyena yathā-yathaiva saṅgamo bhavet, sadā tasya kuśala-samācāraṃ pṛcchet | sāyaṃkāle prātaḥkāle ca brāhmaṇān praṇamet—eṣā śāstrasya ājñā || devāgāre gavāṃ madhye brāhmaṇānāṃ kriyāpathe | svādhyāye bhojane caiva dakṣiṇaṃ pāṇim uddharet ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Chaque fois que l’on rencontre une personne connue, il faut toujours s’enquérir de son bien-être. Et le soir comme le matin, on doit se prosterner devant les Brāhmaṇas—tel est l’injonction de l’enseignement sacré. Dans un temple, au milieu des vaches, durant les actes rituels des Brāhmaṇas, au moment de l’étude védique (svādhyāya) et pendant le repas, il convient d’employer la main droite, en gardant pureté, respect et juste conduite dans les lieux et les instants tenus pour particulièrement sacrés.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches everyday dharma (ācāra): maintain courteous social bonds by asking after others’ well-being, show regular reverence to Brāhmaṇas morning and evening, and observe purity/respect norms—especially using the right hand in sacred contexts (temple, among cows, during rituals, during scriptural study, and while eating).
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous living after the war. Here he gives practical rules of daily conduct—how to greet others, whom to honor regularly, and how to behave in ritually significant places and times.