Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 473
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
षण्मासानशनं तस्य भगवानड्िराडब्रवीत् । राजन्! जो एक-एक पक्ष बीतनेपर भोजन करता है और इसी तरह एक वर्ष पूरा कर देता है, उसको छः: मासतक अनशन करनेका फल मिलता है। ऐसा भगवान् अंगिरा मुनिका कथन है
ṣaṇmāsānaśanaṃ tasya bhagavān aṅgirā abravīt | rājan yaḥ eka-eka-pakṣa-bītane bhojanaṃ karoti evaṃ ca eka-varṣaṃ pūrayati tasmai ṣaṇmāsa-takānaśanasya phalaṃ labhyate iti bhagavān aṅgirā-muner vacanam |
El venerable sabio Aṅgirā dijo: «Oh Rey, quien come sólo después de que ha transcurrido cada quincena, y persevera en esta disciplina hasta completar un año entero, obtiene un mérito igual al de ayunar durante seis meses. Tal es la declaración del reverenciado sabio Aṅgirā».
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
A sustained, measured austerity—eating only once after each fortnight—when practiced consistently for a year, is taught to yield merit comparable to a much harsher six-month fast, emphasizing disciplined continuity over extreme display.
Sage Aṅgirā addresses a king and explains the spiritual ‘fruit’ (phala) of a specific vow: taking food only at the end of each fortnight for a year, equating its merit with six months of complete fasting.