Shloka 39

Devanagari script

यस्तु संवत्सरं भुड्क्ते नवमे नवमे5हनि,जो एक वर्षतक नौ-नौ दिनपर एक समय भोजन करता है और बारहों महीने प्रतिदिन अग्निमें आहुति देता है, उसे एक हजार अश्वमेध यज्ञका परम उत्तम फल प्राप्त होता है

Transliteration

yastu saṁvatsaraṁ bhuṅkte navame navame 'hani, sa eka-varṣaṁ yāvat nava-nava-dine ekakālaṁ bhojanaṁ karoti dvādaśa-māsān pratidinam agnau āhutiṁ dadāti; tasmai sahasrāśvamedha-yajñānāṁ paramottamaṁ phalaṁ prāpyate.

Translation

Bhishma said: Whoever, for a full year, eats only once on every ninth day, and throughout all twelve months offers oblations into the sacred fire each day—such a disciplined person attains the supremely excellent merit equal to that of a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices.

Word by Word

यःwho

तुbut/indeed

संवत्सरम्for a year / a year (duration)

भुङ्क्तेeats/partakes

नवमेon the ninth (day)

नवमेagain on the ninth (day)

अहनिon the day

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Agni (sacrificial fire)

Āhuti (oblation)

Aśvamedha-yajña

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sustained self-control (eating only once every ninth day) combined with unwavering daily sacred duty (offering oblations into the fire) is praised as extraordinarily meritorious—ethically elevating inner discipline and consistent practice above mere display, equating it with the fruit of grand royal sacrifices.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he describes a specific year-long vow of regulated eating and daily fire-offerings, then states the resulting spiritual merit: the highest fruit comparable to that of a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices.