Shloka 19
अनुशासनपर्व अध्याय ९३ — तपस्, सदोपवास, विघसाशन, अतिथिप्रियता
Austerity, regulated fasting, residual-eating, and hospitality
यद् वेष्टितशिरा भुंक्ते यद् भुंक्ते दक्षिणामुख: । सोपानत्कश्च यद् भुंक्ते सर्व विद्यात् तदासुरम्
yad veṣṭitaśirā bhuṅkte yad bhuṅkte dakṣiṇāmukhaḥ | sopānatkaś ca yad bhuṅkte sarvaṃ vidyāt tad āsuram ||
Bhīṣma said: “Know that food is of an ‘āsuric’ (impure, undisciplined) character when it is eaten with the head wrapped (as with a turban or cap), when it is eaten facing south, or when it is eaten while wearing footwear.” The instruction underscores that even ordinary acts like eating should be governed by reverence, cleanliness, and proper orientation, for conduct shapes one’s inner disposition.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that discipline and reverence in daily conduct matter: eating should be done with proper decorum (not with head wrapped, not facing south, not wearing footwear). Such careless modes of eating are labeled ‘āsuric,’ indicating a disposition opposed to purity and dharmic restraint.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he lists specific improper manners of eating and classifies the food partaken under those conditions as ‘āsuric,’ as part of broader guidance on personal discipline and ritual propriety.