Shloka 118
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
सदा द्वादशमासांस्तु जितात्मा विजितेन्द्रिय: । फल देवर्षिचरितं विपुलं समुपाश्ुते
sadā dvādaśa-māsāṁs tu jitātmā vijitendriyaḥ | phalaṁ devarṣi-caritaṁ vipulaṁ samupāśnute ||
Bhishma sprach: Wer zwölf Monate lang stets selbstbeherrscht ist und die Sinne bezwungen hat, und am achtundzwanzigsten Tag nur einmal Nahrung zu sich nimmt, der gelangt zum Genuss der reichen Frucht, die man den göttlichen Sehern zuschreibt.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained mastery over mind and senses, expressed through rigorous regulated eating, is presented as a dharmic discipline that yields exalted spiritual merit comparable to that of divine seers.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and vows, he describes the fruit of a severe year-long regimen: the practitioner eats only once every twenty-eight days and thereby attains a great reward associated with the devarshis.