Shloka 152
ज्येष्ठ-कनिष्ठ-धर्मः — Duties of Elders and Juniors
Anuśāsana-parva 108
यष्टव्यं च यथाशक्ति यज्ैविविधदक्षिणै: । अत ऊर्ध्वमरण्यं च सेवितव्यं नराधिप
yaṣṭavyaṃ ca yathāśakti yajñair vividha-dakṣiṇaiḥ | ata ūrdhvam araṇyaṃ ca sevitavyaṃ narādhipa ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Deve-se realizar sacrifícios conforme a própria capacidade, oferecendo variadas formas de dádivas sacrificiais (dakṣiṇā). Depois disso, ó rei, quando o período da vida de chefe de família estiver completo, deve-se recolher à floresta e viver de acordo com as disciplinas do vānaprastha, o morador da floresta.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma should be practiced in proportion to one’s means: perform yajñas with appropriate gifts (dakṣiṇā) without overreaching, and then, after fulfilling household responsibilities, transition to the vānaprastha discipline—signaling a gradual, orderly movement from worldly duty to restraint and detachment.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing the king on righteous conduct. Here he outlines the life-course (āśrama) progression: first fulfill gṛhastha obligations through sacrifice and giving, then withdraw to the forest as a vānaprastha when that phase is complete.