Shloka 10
श्रीशक्रसंवादः — The Dialogue of Śrī
Lakṣmī) and Śakra (Indra
भीष्य उवाच अन्तरा प्रातराशं च सायमाशं तथैव च । सदोपवासी स भवेद् यो न भुदुक्तेडन्तरा पुन:
bhīṣma uvāca | antarā prātarāśaṃ ca sāyamāśaṃ tathaiva ca | sadopavāsī sa bhaved yo na bhuṅkte ’ntarā punaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “He who eats only in the morning and likewise only in the evening, and does not eat anything again in between, is to be regarded as one who is perpetually fasting.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma defines a practical form of continual fasting: limiting oneself to two regulated meals (morning and evening) and avoiding any eating in between, emphasizing restraint and disciplined living as a dharmic practice.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to Yudhishthira, Bhishma explains norms of conduct and austerity; here he clarifies what counts as being ‘always fasting’ by giving a concrete behavioral definition.