Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 51
श्मश्रुकर्मणि मड़ल्यं क्षुतानामभिनन्दनम् । व्याधितानां च सर्वेषामायुषामभिनन्दनम्
śmaśrukarmaṇi māṅgalyaṁ kṣutānām abhinandanam | vyādhitānāṁ ca sarveṣām āyuṣām abhinandanam ||
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “Kapag inaayos ang bigote at balbas, magbigkas ng mga salitang mapalad. Basbasan ang bumahing (gaya ng ‘mabuhay ka nang matagal’), at batiin din ang lahat ng maysakit na may pagpapala, na may mabuting hangaring sila’y humaba ang buhay.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches sadācāra: everyday acts should be accompanied by auspicious speech and compassionate benedictions—blessing a sneezer and wishing longevity to the sick—so that one’s conduct supports well-being and social harmony.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and proper conduct. Here he lists customary practices of polite, auspicious speech connected with grooming, sneezing, and illness.