Shloka 36
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
नास्तिक्यं वेदनिन्दां च देवतानां च कुत्सनम् । देषस्तम्भो5भिमानं च तैक्ष्ण्यं च परिवर्जयेत्
nāstikyaṁ vedanindāṁ ca devatānāṁ ca kutsanam | dveṣa-stambho 'bhimānaṁ ca taikṣṇyaṁ ca parivarjayet ||
Bhishma bersabda: Hendaknya seseorang meninggalkan sikap tidak beriman (nāstikya), mencela Weda, dan merendahkan para dewa; demikian pula menjauhi kebencian, keangkuhan yang keras kepala, kesombongan, dan kekasaran. Semua cela ini menggerogoti dharma, maka wajib ditinggalkan oleh pencari laku benar.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse instructs the aspirant in dharma to abandon specific inner and outer vices—denial of sacred-moral order, contempt for scripture and deities, hatred, stubborn self-assertion, pride, and harshness—because these dispositions undermine righteous conduct and social harmony.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma, lying on the bed of arrows, continues his extended instruction on dharma to Yudhiṣṭhira. Here he lists faults to be renounced as part of ethical discipline and proper conduct.