श्रीशक्रसंवादः — The Dialogue of Śrī
Lakṣmī) and Śakra (Indra
भार्या गच्छन् ब्रह्मचारी ऋतौ भवति वै द्विज: । ऋतवादी भवेन्नित्यं ज्ञाननित्यश्ष यो नर:
bhāryā gacchan brahmacārī ṛtau bhavati vai dvijaḥ | ṛtavādī bhavennityaṃ jñānanityaś ca yo naraḥ ||
जो द्विज केवळ ऋतुकाळातच पत्नीसमागम करतो, तो आचरणाने ब्रह्मचारीच होय. जो नेहमी ऋतु-विषयी सत्य बोलतो आणि ज्ञानात नित्य स्थिर राहतो, तो संयमी पुरुष होय.
भीष्य उवाच
That disciplined restraint within household life—approaching one’s wife only at the proper time (ṛtu), speaking truthfully/acting in accord with that regulation, and remaining steady in knowledge—counts as a form of brahmacarya in conduct.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira standards of regulated conduct for a householder, emphasizing sexual restraint, truthfulness about proper timing, and constancy in right knowledge.