Shloka 20
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
परिचित मनुष्यसे जब-जब भेंट हो, सदा उसका कुशल-समाचार पूछे। सायंकाल और प्रातः:काल दोनों समय ब्राह्मणोंको प्रणाम करे, यह शास्त्रकी आज्ञा है ।।
paricita-manuṣyena yathā-yathaiva saṅgamo bhavet, sadā tasya kuśala-samācāraṃ pṛcchet | sāyaṃkāle prātaḥkāle ca brāhmaṇān praṇamet—eṣā śāstrasya ājñā || devāgāre gavāṃ madhye brāhmaṇānāṃ kriyāpathe | svādhyāye bhojane caiva dakṣiṇaṃ pāṇim uddharet ||
毗湿摩说道：“每当遇见熟识之人，当常问其安康。并且在傍晚与清晨两时，都应向婆罗门（Brāhmaṇa）顶礼——此乃圣教之诫。于神庙之中、牛群之间、婆罗门行祭仪之时、诵习吠陀（svādhyāya）之际，以及进食之时，当用右手行事，以守清净、存敬畏，并在尤为神圣的处所与时刻维持端正的礼法。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches everyday dharma (ācāra): maintain courteous social bonds by asking after others’ well-being, show regular reverence to Brāhmaṇas morning and evening, and observe purity/respect norms—especially using the right hand in sacred contexts (temple, among cows, during rituals, during scriptural study, and while eating).
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous living after the war. Here he gives practical rules of daily conduct—how to greet others, whom to honor regularly, and how to behave in ritually significant places and times.