Shloka 131
श्रीशक्रसंवादः — The Dialogue of Śrī
Lakṣmī) and Śakra (Indra
भार्या गच्छन् ब्रह्मचारी ऋतौ भवति वै द्विज: । ऋतवादी भवेन्नित्यं ज्ञाननित्यश्ष यो नर:
bhāryā gacchan brahmacārī ṛtau bhavati vai dvijaḥ | ṛtavādī bhavennityaṃ jñānanityaś ca yo naraḥ ||
Disse Bhīṣma: “O dvija (o ‘nascido duas vezes’) que se aproxima de sua esposa apenas na estação apropriada (ṛtu) é, na conduta, como um brahmacārī. Deve ser sempre veraz quanto a essa estação e permanecer firme no conhecimento—assim vive com disciplina mesmo cumprindo os deveres do lar.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
That disciplined restraint within household life—approaching one’s wife only at the proper time (ṛtu), speaking truthfully/acting in accord with that regulation, and remaining steady in knowledge—counts as a form of brahmacarya in conduct.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira standards of regulated conduct for a householder, emphasizing sexual restraint, truthfulness about proper timing, and constancy in right knowledge.