Shloka 44
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
अश्वमेधस्य यज्ञस्य फल प्राप्रोति मानव: । कुन्तीनन्दन! जो एक सालतक छठे समय अर्थात् तीन-तीन दिनोंपर भोजन करता है, वह मनुष्य अश्वमेध यज्ञका फल पाता है ।। ४३ इ ।। चक्रवाकप्रयुक्तेन विमानेन स गच्छति
aśvamedhasya yajñasya phalaṁ prāpnoti mānavaḥ | kuntīnandana! yo ekasālatak ṣaṣṭhe samaye arthāt tritridinopari bhojanaṁ karoti, sa manuṣya aśvamedhayajñasya phalaṁ prāpnoti || cakravākaprayuktena vimānena sa gacchati ||
Aṅgiras dijo: «Una persona alcanza el mérito del sacrificio Aśvamedha. Oh hijo de Kuntī, quien durante un año entero come solo en el “sexto tiempo”—es decir, una vez cada tres días—gana el fruto del Aśvamedha. Llevado en un carro celestial uncido a aves cakravāka, parte hacia los mundos superiores.»
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
Severe self-restraint and sustained austerity (regulated eating over a year) can yield spiritual merit comparable to grand royal sacrifices, emphasizing inner discipline over external ritual scale.
Sage Aṅgiras instructs Kuntī’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira) about the fruits of austerities, stating that a year-long regimen of eating once every three days grants the merit of the Aśvamedha and leads to ascent in a celestial vimāna.