Shloka 42
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
अहिंसानिरतो नित्यं सत्यवाग विजितेन्द्रिय: । वाजपेयस्य यज्ञस्य स फलं समुपाश्षुते
ahiṃsā-nirato nityaṃ satyavāg vijitendriyaḥ | vājapeyasya yajñasya sa phalaṃ samupāśnute ||
Aṅgiras said: “One who is ever devoted to non-violence, who speaks truth, and who has conquered the senses—such a person attains the very fruit of the Vājapeya sacrifice.”
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical discipline—non-violence, truthfulness, and mastery of the senses—can yield the same spiritual merit as an eminent Vedic sacrifice like the Vājapeya. The verse prioritizes inner virtue as a direct path to religious fruit.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, the sage Aṅgirā states a principle of moral equivalence: a person established in ahiṃsā, satya, and indriya-jaya attains the fruit associated with the prestigious Vājapeya ritual, underscoring conduct-based righteousness.