Shloka 36
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
यस्तु संवत्सरं क्षान्तो भुड्क्तेडहन्यष्टमे नर:,जो एक वर्षतक प्रति आठवें दिन एक बार भोजन करता, सबके प्रति क्षमाभाव रखता, देवताओंके कार्यमें तत्पर रहता और नित्यप्रति अग्निहोत्र करता है, उसे पौण्डरीक यागका सर्वश्रेष्ठ फल मिलता है
yastu saṁvatsaraṁ kṣānto bhuṅkte ’hany aṣṭame naraḥ, devatānāṁ kāryeṣu tatparaḥ san nityam agnihotraṁ ca juhoti, tasmai pauṇḍarīka-yāgasya śreṣṭhatamaṁ phalaṁ prāpyate
Bhishma said: The man who, for a full year, remains patient and forgiving toward all, eats only once every eighth day, stays devoted to the duties owed to the gods, and performs the daily Agnihotra—he attains the highest fruit of the Pauṇḍarīka sacrifice.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained forgiveness, disciplined austerity (eating only once every eight days), and faithful performance of daily sacred duties—especially Agnihotra—are presented as powerful means of earning the highest religious merit, comparable to the best fruit of a great sacrifice.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he describes a specific year-long vow combining restraint, patience, and ritual observance, and he states the exalted spiritual reward that accrues from such conduct.