Shloka 53
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
अनार्तों व्याधिरहितो गच्छेदनशनं तु यः । पदे पदे यज्ञफलं स प्राप्नोति न संशय:,जो बिना रोग-व्याधिके अनशन व्रत करता है, उसे पद-पदपर यज्ञका फल मिलता है, इसमें संशय नहीं है
anārto vyādhirahito gacched anaśanaṃ tu yaḥ | pade pade yajñaphalaṃ sa prāpnoti na saṃśayaḥ ||
Quien está libre de aflicción y de enfermedad, y emprende el voto del ayuno, obtiene a cada paso el mérito de un sacrificio (yajña); de ello no hay duda. La enseñanza subraya que la austeridad (tapas) es éticamente significativa cuando se practica con aptitud corporal y firmeza interior, no por la coacción de la dolencia o del sufrimiento.
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fasting undertaken voluntarily by one who is healthy and undistressed is praised as a powerful form of tapas, yielding merit comparable to sacrificial rites again and again; the emphasis is on disciplined, intentional austerity rather than suffering-driven deprivation.
Aṅgiras is instructing about the religious and ethical value of vows. In this verse he commends the practice of anaśana (fasting) for a person free from illness, stating that such a vow brings the fruit of yajña at every step.