Shloka 37
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
जो मनुष्य प्रतिदिन सबेरे और शामको भोजन करता है, बीचमें जलतक नहीं पीता तथा सदा अहिंसा-परायण होकर नित्य अन्निहोत्र करता है, उसे छः: वर्षोमें सिद्धि प्राप्त हो जाती है। इसमें संशय नहीं है तथा नरेश्वर! वह अग्निष्टोम यज्ञका फल पाता है ।।
yo manuṣyaḥ pratidinaṃ sabere ca sāyaṃ ca bhojanaṃ karoti, madhye jalam api na pibati, tathā sadā ahiṃsā-parāyaṇaḥ san nityam agnihotraṃ karoti, tasya ṣaḍbhir varṣaiḥ siddhiḥ prāpyate—atra saṃśayo nāsti; nara-īśvara, sa agniṣṭoma-yajñasya phalaṃ prāpnoti. adhivāse so ’psarasāṃ nṛtya-gīta-vināditē ramate strī-sahasrāḍhye sukṛtī virajo naraḥ.
Aṅgiras said: “The man who eats only twice each day—morning and evening—who does not even drink water in between, and who remains ever devoted to non-violence while performing the daily Agnihotra, attains spiritual accomplishment within six years. Of this there is no doubt. O king, he gains the fruit of the Agniṣṭoma sacrifice. That meritorious, passion-free man then delights in the celestial abode of the Apsarases—resounding with dance and song—rich with thousands of divine women.”
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steady discipline—moderation in food, strict restraint (even avoiding water between meals), unwavering non-violence, and faithful daily Agnihotra—produces assured spiritual attainment and merit comparable to a major Vedic sacrifice (Agniṣṭoma).
The sage Aṅgiras instructs a king about the results of a specific regimen of austerity and Vedic observance, describing both the certainty of attaining siddhi within six years and the heavenly enjoyment among Apsarases as the karmic reward.