Shloka 53
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
स्रजश्न नावकृष्येत न बहिर्धारयीत च । उदक्यया च सम्भाषां न कुर्वीत कदाचन,गलेमें पड़ी हुई मालाको कभी न खींचे। उसे कपड़ेके ऊपर न धारण करे। रजस्वला सत्रीके साथ कभी बातचीत न करे
srajaś ca nāvakṛṣyet na bahirdhārayīta ca | udakyayā ca sambhāṣāṃ na kurvīta kadācana ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Jangan menarik-narik kalungan bunga yang dipakai di leher, dan jangan memakainya di bahagian luar di atas pakaian. Dan jangan sekali-kali berbicara dengan wanita yang sedang haid.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse lays down rules of personal and ritual decorum: maintain disciplined bodily conduct (even in small acts like handling a garland), avoid ostentatious or improper wearing of items, and observe traditional restrictions regarding interaction with a menstruating woman, framed as a matter of ritual purity and prescribed social conduct.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and proper conduct (ācāra). This verse is part of a didactic sequence of behavioral injunctions, presenting specific do’s and don’ts as norms for a disciplined life.