Shloka 5
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
तुल्यो यज्ञफलैरेतैस्तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह । इसलिये जिस कर्मका अनुष्ठान दरिद्रों, गुणहीनों, एकाकी और असहायोंके लिये भी सुगम तथा बड़े-बड़े यज्ञोंके समान फल देनेवाला हो, उसीका मुझसे वर्णन कीजिये ।। ४ $ || भीष्म उवाच इदमज्िरसा प्रोक्तमुपवासफलात्मकम्
tulyo yajñaphalair etais tan me brūhi pitāmaha | idam aṅgirasā proktam upavāsaphalātmakam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Therefore, O Grandfather, tell me of that practice which is easy even for the poor, the unaccomplished, the solitary, and the helpless to undertake, yet yields fruits equal to those of great sacrifices.” Bhīṣma said: “This, it is said, was taught by Aṅgiras and is of the nature of the fruit of fasting.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma seeks a dharmic practice that is universally accessible—especially to those without wealth, status, or support—yet grants merit comparable to elaborate sacrifices; the verse points toward upavāsa (fasting) as such a high-yield, low-resource discipline.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma addresses the revered elder authority (“Pitāmaha”) and asks for guidance on a practice equal in fruit to great yajñas; he introduces that this teaching is attributed to the sage Aṅgiras and concerns the fruits of fasting.