Shloka 12
Varṇāśrama-ācāra and Vikarma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry on Safe Dharmas (शिवधर्मप्रश्नः)
दान्तो विधेयो हव्यकव्ये<प्रमत्तो हान्नस्य दाता सतत द्विजेभ्य: । अमत्सरी सर्वलिड्ल्डप्रदाता वैताननित्यश्व गृहाश्रमी स्यात्
dānto vidheyo havyakavye 'pramatto hānnasya dātā satataṃ dvijebhyaḥ | amatsarī sarvaliṅgapradātā vaitānanityaś ca gṛhāśramī syāt ||
毗湿摩说：居家之人当摄持诸根，恭顺长者与经典之训；于向诸天奉献应供之供物，并为诸祖灵——皮特里（Pitṛs）——行祖先祭仪之事，常当警醒，不可怠忽。应不断以食施济“二次生者”（dvija）。远离嫉妒与恶意，当以供给资生之物来扶持、养育一切他住诸行之人，并应恒常勤修吠陀祭祀与诸圣仪——如此方为居家阿湿罗摩之戒行。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma defines the ideal gṛhastha: disciplined in sense-control and obedience to śāstra and elders, vigilant in divine and ancestral offerings (havya and kavya), generous in feeding the twice-born and supporting other āśramas, and steady in regular Vedic rites—linking personal restraint with social and ritual responsibility.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he outlines practical marks of a righteous householder, emphasizing daily conduct—charity, non-envy, and faithful performance of sacrificial and ancestral duties.