Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 48
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
(दारसंग्रहणात् पूर्व नाचरेन्मैथुनं बुध: । अन्यथा त्ववकीर्ण: स्यात् प्रायश्षित्तं समाचरेत् ।।
bhīṣma uvāca |
dārasaṅgrahaṇāt pūrvaṁ nācaren maithunaṁ budhaḥ |
anyathā tv avakīrṇaḥ syāt prāyaścittaṁ samācaret ||
na udīkṣeta paradārānś ca rahasya ekāsano bhavet |
indriyāṇi sadā yacchet svapne śuddhamanā bhavet ||
udakśirā na svapeta tathā pratyakśirā na ca |
prākśirās tu svaped vidvān athavā dakṣiṇāśirāḥ ||
ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ກ່ອນຈະຮັບເອົາພັນລະຍາ ຜູ້ມີປັນຍາບໍ່ຄວນປະພຶດເພດສຳພັນ; ຖ້າຝ່າຝືນ ຈະເປັນຜູ້ທີ່ທຳລາຍພຣະຫມະຈັນທະ (ພຣະຫມະຈັນທະວຣະຕະ) ແລະຄວນປະຕິບັດການຊຳລະບາບ (ປຣາຍະຊິດ). ຢ່າແມ່ນແຕ່ເບິ່ງເມຍຂອງຄົນອື່ນ ແລະຢ່ານັ່ງຮ່ວມບ່ອນນັ່ງດຽວກັນກັບນາງໃນທີ່ລັບ. ຈົ່ງຄຸ້ມຄອງອິນທຣີຍະເສມອ ແລະຮັກສາໃຈໃຫ້ບໍລິສຸດ ແມ່ນແຕ່ໃນຄວາມຝັນ. ຢ່ານອນໃຫ້ຫົວຫັນໄປທາງເໜືອ ຫຼືທາງຕາເວັນຕົກ; ຜູ້ຮູ້ຄວນນອນໃຫ້ຫົວຫັນໄປທາງຕາເວັນອອກ ຫຼືທາງໃຕ້»។
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma lays down a discipline of continence and sensory restraint before marriage, strict avoidance of another man’s wife in gaze and private proximity, purity of mind even in dreams, and a traditional rule about sleeping orientation (east or south) as part of regulated dharmic living.
Within Bhishma’s extended instruction on dharma in the Anushasana Parva, he gives prescriptive rules for personal conduct—especially sexual restraint and social boundaries—framing violations as ritual-ethical faults requiring prāyaścitta (expiation).