Shloka 40
सायंप्रातर्मनुष्पयाणामशन देवनिर्मितम् । नान्तरा भोजन दृष्टमुपवासविधिहिं स:
sāyaṃprātar manuṣyāṇām aśanaṃ devanirmitam | nāntarā bhojanaṃ dṛṣṭam upavāsavidhir hi saḥ |
Disse Bhishma: Para os seres humanos, os deuses ordenaram comer apenas em dois momentos—de manhã e ao entardecer. Não se vê regra para tomar alimento entre esses tempos. Observando tal contenção, obtém-se o mérito de um jejum. E, dentro deste quadro de dharma, o chefe de família disciplinado deve também proteger e acolher a todos—hóspedes, servos, parentes e os que buscam refúgio—para que o autocontrole pessoal sustente a responsabilidade social.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain disciplined eating—only morning and evening meals, avoiding food in between—so that restraint itself yields the merit associated with fasting; this personal discipline is aligned with the broader dharma of supporting and welcoming others (guests, dependents, kin, and refugees).
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he lays down a normative rule of conduct for householders: regulated meal-times as divinely ordained, and the ethical expectation that one’s life be oriented toward protection and hospitality for those connected to or dependent on the householder.