Shloka 2
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
ब्रह्मक्षत्रेण नियमाश्च॒र्तव्या इति न: श्रुतम् उपवासे कथं तेषां कृत्यमस्ति पितामह
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | brahmakṣatreṇa niyamāś cartavyā iti naḥ śrutam | upavāse kathaṃ teṣāṃ kṛtyam asti pitāmaha pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “We have heard that Brahmins and Kshatriyas are bound to observe prescribed disciplines and restraints. Yet, O Grandfather, I do not see how their aims are fulfilled by fasting—how does fasting become a meaningful duty for them?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: disciplines (niyama) are acknowledged as obligatory for Brahmins and Kshatriyas, but Yudhiṣṭhira asks for the ethical rationale—how fasting concretely serves their rightful aims. It invites an explanation of austerity as a means of self-control, purification, and strengthening commitment to duty.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma as ‘Pitāmaha’ and seeks clarification about the practical purpose of fasting within the duties of the leading social orders, preparing the ground for Bhīṣma’s teaching on observances and their fruits.