Shloka 73
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
उच्छिष्टो यः प्राद्रवति स्वाध्यायं चाधिगच्छति । यश्चानध्यायकाले5पि मोहादभ्यस्यति द्विज:
ucchiṣṭo yaḥ prādravati svādhyāyaṃ cādhigacchati | yaścānadhyāya-kāle 'pi mohād abhyasyati dvijaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Sesiapa yang masih berkeadaan uccheṣṭa—mulut belum bersih selepas makan—lalu tergesa-gesa berlari dan melakukan swādhyāya serta pengajian Veda; dan sesiapa dvija yang kerana khayal tetap belajar walaupun pada waktu anadhyāya (waktu larangan bacaan): tentang mereka ini, tradisi mengingati kisah lama yang dinyanyikan oleh Yama. Yama menyatakan bahawa baginda memendekkan umur orang sedemikian dan merampas zuriatnya; dan bagi dvija yang belajar pada anadhyāya, lenyaplah kedua-duanya—pengetahuan/merit Veda dan umur panjang. Maka orang yang berhemah jangan belajar Veda pada waktu yang ditegah.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vedic study (svādhyāya) must be done with proper purity and at permitted times; studying with an impure mouth (ucchiṣṭa) or during an anadhyāya period is portrayed as a serious breach that destroys longevity and the fruit of learning.
Bhishma instructs by citing an old traditional account attributed to Yama: Yama warns that those who recite/study the Veda in impure or prohibited conditions incur grave consequences, so the wise should avoid svādhyāya at forbidden times.