Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 117
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
सम्बन्धिनां च राजेन्द्र तथा<<युर्विन्दते महत् । राजेन्द्र युधिष्ठिर! वैद्यों, बालकों, वृद्धों, भृत्यों, बन्धुओं, ब्राह्मणों, शरणार्थियों तथा सम्बन्धियोंकी स्त्रियोंक पास कभी न जाय। ऐसा करनेसे दीर्घायु प्राप्त होती है ।।
sambandhināṁ ca rājendra tathā āyur vindate mahat | rājendra yudhiṣṭhira vaidyān bālakān vṛddhān bhṛtyān bandhūn brāhmaṇān śaraṇārthinaḥ tathā sambandhinīḥ striyaḥ kasyāpi na gacchet | evaṁ kṛtvā dīrghāyur bhavati ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “O hari, sa ganitong pagpipigil sa sarili ay nakakamit ang dakilang kahabaan ng buhay. O Haring Yudhiṣṭhira, huwag kailanman lumapit—dahil sa pagnanasa o kawalang-dangal—sa mga manggagamot, sa mga bata, sa matatanda, sa mga umaasa, sa mga kamag-anak, sa mga Brāhmaṇa, sa mga humihingi ng kanlungan, at sa mga asawa ng iyong mga kamag-anak. Sa ganitong asal, nakakamtan ang mahabang buhay.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that ethical restraint—especially avoiding any improper approach toward protected or vulnerable persons (children, elders, dependents, brāhmaṇas, refugees, and relatives’ wives)—is a form of dharma that preserves social trust and is said to yield the fruit of long life.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct. Here he gives a specific rule of personal discipline, listing categories of people toward whom one must maintain strict propriety, and links this discipline to the benefit of longevity.