Shloka 5
Vow-Fasting (Anaśana), Sannyāsa, Tīrtha-Death, and the Ethics of Dāna
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच / कृत्वा निरशनं यो वै मृत्युमाप्नोति को ऽपि चेत् / मानुपीं तनुमुत्सृज्य मम तुल्यो विराजते
śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca / kṛtvā niraśanaṃ yo vai mṛtyumāpnoti ko 'pi cet / mānupīṃ tanumutsṛjya mama tulyo virājate
Śrī Kṛṣṇa sprach: „Wenn jemand, nachdem er Nirāśana—völlige Enthaltung von Nahrung—auf sich genommen hat, dem Tod begegnet, dann, nachdem er den menschlichen Leib abgelegt hat, erstrahlt er, Mir gleich.“
Śrī Kṛṣṇa (identified here as the divine speaker, aligned with the Vishnu-Kṛṣṇa voice in Purāṇic discourse)
Afterlife Stage: Moksha
Concept: One who undertakes nirāśana (complete fasting) and meets death, abandoning the human body, shines equal to Kṛṣṇa.
Vedantic Theme: Grace and transformation at death through concentrated vow and God-centeredness; movement toward divine likeness/attainment (interpretable as sālokya/sāmīpya/sārūpya depending on tradition).
Application: Use fasting as a devotional intensifier paired with remembrance and ethical restraint; approach mortality with disciplined surrender rather than panic.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: vrata-mahātmyas and death-related attainments; Pretakalpa’s emphasis on end-of-life conditions shaping gati (general)
FAQs
This verse presents fasting as a potent dharmic austerity; if death occurs while observing it, the merit is portrayed as elevating the departed to a state of divine radiance and proximity to the Supreme.
It emphasizes the condition of mind and discipline at the time of death: abandoning the human body while engaged in a vow-like austerity is said to yield an exalted post-death state, described as “shining equal to” the Lord.
Observe fasting or restraint as a sincere spiritual discipline (with clarity and non-harm), and cultivate steadiness and remembrance of the divine—especially during illness, old age, and life’s final transitions.