Shloka 17
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
नेक्षेतादित्यमुद्यन्तं न च नग्नां परस्त्रियम् । मैथुनं सततं धर्म्य गुद्दो चैव समाचरेत्
nekṣetādityam udyantaṁ na ca nagnāṁ parastriyam | maithunaṁ satataṁ dharmyaṁ ṛtukāle svadārayā sahaikānte samācaret ||
Bhishma berkata: Jangan menatap matahari yang sedang terbit, dan jangan memandang istri orang lain ketika ia tidak berpakaian. Hubungan suami-istri hendaknya dilakukan secara dharmis—pada waktu yang semestinya—dan hanya dengan istri sendiri, dalam privasi.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches disciplined conduct for a householder: restrain the senses (especially sight), avoid improper or lustful looking, and treat sexual activity as a dharmic act—limited to one’s lawful spouse, at the appropriate time, and in privacy.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he gives practical rules of personal restraint and household ethics, emphasizing modesty, propriety, and regulated marital life.