Shloka 456
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
अकृत्वा देवपूजां च नाचरेद् दन्तधावनम् | सदा एकाग्रचित्त हो दिनमें उत्तरकी ओर मुँह करके ही मल-मूत्रका त्याग करे। दन्तधावन किये बिना देवताओंकी पूजा न करे
akṛtvā devapūjāṃ ca nācared dantadhāvanam | sadā ekāgracitto hi dine uttarakīṃ diśaṃ mukhaṃ kṛtvāiva mala-mūtra-tyāgaṃ kuryāt | dantadhāvanaṃ kṛtvā vinā devān na pūjayet |
ビーシュマは日々の作法を説く。神々への礼拝を済ませずして歯を清めてはならず、また歯を清めずして神々を礼拝してもならぬ。常に心を一つに保ち、昼の間に用を足すときは北に面せよ。この教えは、身の清浄、心の専一、方位の規律を、日常におけるダルマの一部として示すものである。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma links dharma to everyday discipline: maintain bodily cleanliness (tooth-cleaning), mental focus (ekāgratā), and proper ritual order with worship, treating these as ethical foundations of a regulated life.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira on rules of daily routine—how to conduct worship and personal hygiene, and even the proper orientation while attending to bodily functions.