Varṇa-lakṣaṇa and Ātma-saṃyama (Marks of Social Conduct and Self-Restraint) | वर्णलक्षणम् एवं आत्मसंयमः
प्रियदेवातिथेयाश्व वदान्या: प्रियसाधव: । क्षेम्यमात्मवतां मार्गमास्थिता हस्तदक्षिणम्
Bhīṣma uvāca: priyadevā-titheyāś ca vadānyāḥ priyasādhavaḥ | kṣemyaṃ ātma-vatāṃ mārgaṃ āsthitā hasta-dakṣiṇam ||
جنہیں دیوتاؤں کی پوجا اور مہمان نوازی عزیز ہے، جو سخی ہیں اور نیک لوگوں کی صحبت کو پسند کرتے ہیں—ایسے صاحبِ ثواب لوگ نفس پر قابو رکھنے والوں کے مبارک اور امن بخش راستے پر چلتے ہیں؛ وہ راستہ اپنے دائیں ہاتھ کی طرح قابلِ اعتماد ہے۔
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma links social-religious duties (worship and hospitality) and moral virtues (generosity, love of the good) with inner discipline: such people naturally enter a secure, auspicious path grounded in self-mastery, portrayed as dependable as one’s right hand.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising Yudhishthira by describing the qualities of righteous people and the kind of path they adopt—one characterized by welfare, auspiciousness, and self-control.