Shloka 20
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
सदा द्वादशमासान् वै जुह्बमानो जातवेदसम् | वाजपेयस्य यज्ञस्य फल प्राप्रोत्यनुत्तमम्,जो प्रतिदिन अग्निहोत्र करता हुआ बारह महीनोंतक प्रति चौथे दिन एक बार भोजन करता है, वह वाजपेय यज्ञका परम उत्तम फल पाता है
bhīṣma uvāca | sadā dvādaśa-māsān vai juhvamāno jātavedasam | vājapeyasya yajñasya phalaṁ prāpnoty anuttamam ||
Bhīṣma said: “One who, for a full twelve months, continually offers oblations into Jātavedas (the sacred fire), and who disciplines himself by taking food only once every fourth day while maintaining the daily Agnihotra, attains the unsurpassed merit that is said to arise from the Vājapeya sacrifice.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steady daily worship of the sacred fire, combined with disciplined restraint in eating, can yield merit comparable to that of an eminent Vedic sacrifice like the Vājapeya—emphasizing inner discipline and sustained practice over mere grandeur.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and religious observances, he describes a rigorous year-long regimen: maintaining Agnihotra daily, offering oblations to Agni (Jātavedas), and eating only once every fourth day; he then states the spiritual reward as equal to the supreme fruit of the Vājapeya sacrifice.