yudhi·shthira said:

193.1

B

lameless father, master of righteousness, I would like to hear you explain the rule of conduct, for I consider you to be all-knowing.

bhishma said:

Men whose conduct and behavior is evil, who are stupid and steadfast in their recklessness—they are said to be wicked, whereas virtuous men are characterized by correct conduct. If men do not defecate or urinate along a high-road or among cows or grain, they are pure.

193.5

They have outlined the religious law of men as follows: once a man has attended to the call of nature in a pure fashion and offered libations to the gods, he should touch himself with water and then get out of the river. He should always worship the sun, and not sleep when it starts to rise. In the morning and evening, at dawn and dusk, he should stand facing first the East and then the West, and intone his Vedic prayers.

When he has washed his hands, feet and face, he should sit facing the East and silently eat his meal. He should not be disgusted by his food, but instead eat dishes that are palatable. Once he has washed his hands he should get up; at night he should not sleep with wet feet. The celestial seer Narada said that this is characteristic of correct conduct.

A person should always circumambulate a pure place, a bull, a temple, a cross-roads, a righteous brahmin and a sacred tree in a clockwise direction.