Shloka 75
प्रत्यादित्य॑ प्रत्यनलं प्रति गां च प्रति द्विजान् ये मेहन्ति च पन्थानं ते भवन्ति गतायुष:
pratyādityaṁ pratyanalaṁ prati gāṁ ca prati dvijān ye mehanti ca panthānaṁ te bhavanti gatāyuṣaḥ
Bhīṣma berkata: Mereka yang kencing menghadap Matahari, menghadap api, ke arah lembu, atau ke arah para Brāhmaṇa—dan mereka yang kencing di tengah jalan—dikatakan menjadi ‘pendek umur’, kerana perbuatan itu melanggar asas kesucian, penghormatan, dan kesopanan awam yang diajarkan dalam dharma.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches basic dharmic etiquette: one should not perform impure acts in a manner that shows disrespect toward sacred beings (Sun, fire, cow, Brāhmaṇas) or that harms public cleanliness (urinating on a roadway). Such breaches of reverence and propriety are warned to bring adverse consequences, expressed as ‘short life.’
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he lists specific everyday prohibitions as part of āchāra (codes of behavior), emphasizing purity and respect in ordinary actions.