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 |
Bhishma mengajarkan aturan amalan harian: jangan melakukan pembersihan gigi tanpa terlebih dahulu menyembah para dewa, dan jangan pula menyembah para dewa tanpa membersihkan gigi. Dengan fikiran yang sentiasa tertumpu, pada waktu siang ketika membuang hajat hendaklah menghadap ke utara. Ajaran ini menegaskan kebersihan tubuh, ketenangan minda, dan disiplin arah sebagai sebahagian daripada dharma dalam kehidupan seharian.
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.