Shloka 19
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
सात्वतं विधिमास्थाय प्राक् सूर्यमुखनि:सृतम् । पूजयामास देवेशं तच्छेषेण पितामहान्
sātvataṁ vidhim āsthāya prāk sūryamukha-niḥsṛtam | pūjayāmāsa deveśaṁ taccheṣeṇa pitāmahān ||
Bhishma berkata: Dengan berpegang pada tata cara Sātvata (Vaiṣṇava)—yang dikatakan mula-mula terpancar dari mulut Surya—baginda terlebih dahulu memuja Tuhan para dewa, Nārāyaṇa. Kemudian, dengan baki daripada pemujaan itu, baginda menghormati Pitṛ (roh nenek moyang); dan dengan baki daripada persembahan kepada Pitṛ, baginda memuliakan para Brahmana serta para tanggungan lain, membahagi kepada setiap orang menurut tertib yang wajar. Hanya setelah memberi kepada semua, barulah baginda memakan makanan yang tinggal. Baginda teguh pada kebenaran dan tidak menyakiti mana-mana makhluk hidup.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches an ethical order of living: begin with devotion to Nārāyaṇa, then honor ancestors and Brāhmaṇas, support dependents, and only then partake oneself—while remaining truthful and non-violent. It presents dharma as disciplined worship, responsible distribution, and restraint.
Bhīṣma describes the conduct of an exemplary person who follows the Sātvata (Vaiṣṇava) ritual system. He worships the Lord first, then uses the remnants of offerings in a graded sequence—Pitṛs, Brāhmaṇas, and others—before eating what remains, embodying satya and ahiṁsā.