Shloka 16
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
तृतीये दिवसे यस्तु प्राश्नीयादेकभोजनम् | सदा द्वादशमासांस्तु जुह्दानो जातवेदसम्
tṛtīye divase yas tu prāśnīyād ekabhojanam | sadā dvādaśamāsāṁs tu juhvāno jātavedasam ||
قال بهيشما: «مَن كان في كلِّ يومٍ ثالثٍ لا يتناول إلا وجبةً واحدة، ويظلُّ اثني عشر شهرًا يقدِّم القرابين في النار المقدَّسة (أغني) على الدوام، نال الثمرة الأسمى والأفضل ليَجْنَةِ الأتيراترَا (Atirātra).»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained self-restraint in food (eating only once every third day) combined with steady fire-offerings for a full year is presented as a powerful dharmic discipline, yielding merit comparable to the eminent Atirātra sacrifice.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma and religious observances, he describes a specific austerity-and-sacrifice regimen and states the spiritual reward it confers—namely, the highest fruit associated with the Atirātra rite.