Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 23

आचारप्रशंसा

Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity

Devanagari script

प्रसाधनं च केशानामज्जनं दन्‍तधावनम्‌ | पूर्वाह्न एव कार्याणि देवतानां च पूजनम्‌

Transliteration

prasādhanaṃ ca keśānām ajjanaṃ dantadhāvanam | pūrvāhna eva kāryāṇi devatānāṃ ca pūjanam ||

Translation

毗湿摩教诲道：梳整头发、以眼药（黑色眼膏）点眼、洁净牙口，以及礼敬诸天之事，都应在上午、未至正午之前完成。

Word by Word

• प्रसाधनम्: adornment, grooming
• प्रसाधनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसाधन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• केशानाम्: of (the) hair
• केशानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अज्जनम्: application of collyrium (anjana)
• अज्जनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अज्जन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• दन्तधावनम्: tooth-cleaning
• दन्तधावनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्तधावन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• पूर्वाह्ने: in the forenoon
• पूर्वाह्ने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूर्वाह्न
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• एव: indeed, only
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• कार्याणि: things to be done, duties
• कार्याणि: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्य
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Plural

• देवतानाम्: of the deities
• देवतानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पूजनम्: worship
• पूजनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• devatāḥ (deities)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Begin the day with cleanliness, grooming, and worship in the forenoon; disciplined morning conduct supports a dharmic life by establishing purity, order, and reverence before other activities.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing on right conduct (ācāra), specifying the proper time—pūrvāhna—for personal purification practices and the worship of deities.