Shloka 139
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
अभ्रावकाशशीलक्ष् तस्य भानोरिव त्विष: । जो मनुष्य सदा मुनि
abhrāvakāśaśīlakṣa tasya bhānor iva tviṣaḥ | yo manuṣyaḥ sadā muniḥ jitendriyaḥ krodhako jitanevālaḥ śiśravaḥ udaravegaṃ sadā kābūmeṃ rakhanevālaḥ niyamapūrvakaṃ trīṇy agniṣu āhutiṃ dānevālaḥ sandhyopāsanāyāṃ tatparaḥ | tathā yaḥ pavitraḥ san pūrvokta-nānāvidha-niyamānāṃ pālanapūrvakaṃ bhojanaṃ karoti sa ākāśa-samānaṃ nirmalaḥ bhavati tasya kāntiḥ sūrya-prabhā-samānaṃ prakāśate || divaṃ gatvā śarīreṇa svena rājan yathāmaraḥ ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Sinar orang itu menjadi seperti gemerlap matahari, dan tabiatnya jernih serta terbuka seperti langit. Sesiapa yang hidup seperti resi—menguasai diri, menewaskan amarah, menahan dorongan nafsu dan desakan perut, mempersembahkan oblation ke dalam tiga api suci menurut aturan, serta tekun dalam pemujaan sandhyā setiap hari—orang itu, setelah disucikan, hanya menjamah makanan sambil memelihara banyak disiplin yang telah dihuraikan sebelumnya: maka ia menjadi tanpa noda seperti langit, dan cahayanya bersinar seperti sinar suria. Wahai Raja, setelah pergi ke syurga dengan tubuhnya sendiri, ia menjadi seperti dewa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that disciplined living—mastery of senses and anger, restraint in sexuality and appetite, faithful performance of Vedic fire-offerings, and regular sandhyā worship—purifies a person like the sky and makes their inner and outer radiance shine like the sun, leading to exalted post-mortem attainment (heavenly, god-like state).
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing King Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he praises the regulated, ritually grounded life of a self-controlled practitioner, describing its visible signs (purity and radiance) and its promised result (reaching heaven, becoming like an immortal).