Shloka 22
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
दिवसे पउ्चमे यस्तु प्राश्नीयादेकभोजनम्,अनसूयुरपापस्थो द्वादशाहफलं लभेत् । जो बारह महीनोंतक प्रतिदिन अग्निहोत्र करता हुआ हर पाँचवें दिन एक समय भोजन करता है और लोभहीन, सत्यवादी, ब्राह्मणभक्त, अहिंसक और अदोषदर्शी होकर सदा पापकमोंसे दूर रहता है, उसे द्वादशाह यज्ञका फल प्राप्त होता है
divase pañcame yas tu prāśnīyād ekabhojanam, anasūyur apāpastho dvādaśāhaphalaṁ labhet.
Bhīṣma said: “Whoever, on every fifth day, takes food only once—free from malice and firmly established in sinlessness—obtains the merit equivalent to the Dvādaśāha sacrifice.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sincere self-discipline—especially regulated eating combined with freedom from malice and avoidance of sin—can yield merit comparable to major Vedic sacrifices, showing that ethical purity and restraint are central to dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he describes a specific austerity (eating once on every fifth day) and states its spiritual reward: the fruit of the Dvādaśāha sacrifice, thereby encouraging practical, inner-focused observances.