Shloka 36
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
नास्तिक्यं वेदनिन्दां च देवतानां च कुत्सनम् । देषस्तम्भो5भिमानं च तैक्ष्ण्यं च परिवर्जयेत्
nāstikyaṁ vedanindāṁ ca devatānāṁ ca kutsanam | dveṣa-stambho 'bhimānaṁ ca taikṣṇyaṁ ca parivarjayet ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: Hendaklah seseorang meninggalkan kekufuran yang menolak dharma, penghinaan terhadap Veda, dan celaan terhadap para dewa; demikian juga hendaklah ditinggalkan niat jahat, keangkuhan yang degil, kesombongan, serta kekasaran yang keras. Keburukan-keburukan ini menghakis dharma; maka sesiapa yang mencari tata laku yang benar wajib menyingkirkannya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse instructs the aspirant in dharma to abandon specific inner and outer vices—denial of sacred-moral order, contempt for scripture and deities, hatred, stubborn self-assertion, pride, and harshness—because these dispositions undermine righteous conduct and social harmony.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma, lying on the bed of arrows, continues his extended instruction on dharma to Yudhiṣṭhira. Here he lists faults to be renounced as part of ethical discipline and proper conduct.