उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
नियमांश्नोपवासां श्व सर्वेषां ब्रूहि पार्थिव । आप्रोति कां गतिं तात उपवासपरायण:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | Niyamān ca upavāsān ca sarveṣāṃ brūhi pārthiva | Āpnoti kāṃ gatiṃ tāta upavāsa-parāyaṇaḥ ||
যুধিষ্ঠিৰে ক’লে—হে ৰাজন, দয়া কৰি মোক সকলো নিয়ম আৰু উপবাসৰ বিধি কওক। তাত, উপবাস-পরায়ণ মানুহে কোন গতি লাভ কৰে?
युधिछिर उवाच
The verse frames fasting (upavāsa) and disciplined observances (niyama) as ethically significant practices whose value lies in their intended spiritual outcome—prompting an inquiry into the ‘gati’ (destiny/attainment) that such self-restraint yields.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance on dharma, respectfully asks a kingly authority to explain the methods of various observances and fasts, and specifically asks what final state is attained by one devoted to fasting.