Shloka 39
आचारप्रशंसा
Praise of Ācāra as the Basis of Longevity, Fame, and Prosperity
(अमावास्यामृते नित्यं दंतधावनमाचरेत् । इतिहासपुराणानि दान वेदं च नित्यश: ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca: amāvāsyām ṛte nityaṃ dantadhāvanam ācaret | itihāsapurāṇāni dānaṃ vedaṃ ca nityaśaḥ || gāyatrīmananaṃ nityaṃ kuryāt sandhyāṃ samāhitaḥ | kṛtvā mūtrapurīṣe tu rathyām ākramya vā punaḥ | pādaprakṣālanaṃ kuryāt svādhyāye bhojane tathā ||
毗湿摩说道：除新月日（amāvāsyā）外，应当每日洁齿。又当日日诵读《伊提哈萨》与《往世书》，行布施，习诵吠陀；摄心专注，修行三时礼（Sandhyā），并每日思惟（复诵）伽雅特丽（Gāyatrī）真言。小便大便之后，以及行走道路之后，都应洗足；同样，在诵习经典之前与进食之前，也应洗足。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that dharma is sustained through consistent daily discipline: personal cleanliness, regular sacred study (Veda, Itihasa, Purana), charity, focused Sandhya worship, and Gayatri contemplation, along with practical hygiene such as washing the feet after impure acts and before study or meals.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on codes of right conduct. Here he lists specific everyday observances—ritual, study, giving, and cleanliness—framing them as routine duties that cultivate purity and steadiness in a householder’s life.