Shloka 40
सायंप्रातर्मनुष्पयाणामशन देवनिर्मितम् । नान्तरा भोजन दृष्टमुपवासविधिहिं स:
sāyaṃprātar manuṣyāṇām aśanaṃ devanirmitam | nāntarā bhojanaṃ dṛṣṭam upavāsavidhir hi saḥ |
Bhishma berkata: Bagi manusia, para dewa telah menetapkan makan hanya pada dua waktu—pagi dan petang. Tidak terlihat aturan untuk makan di sela-selanya. Dengan menahan diri demikian, seseorang memperoleh pahala seperti berpuasa. Dalam bingkai dharma ini, kepala rumah tangga yang berdisiplin hendaknya juga menjadi pelindung dan penyambut semua—tamu, pelayan, sanak keluarga, dan mereka yang mencari perlindungan—agar pengendalian diri pribadi menopang tanggung jawab sosial.
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.