Shloka 69
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
परम बुद्धिमान् विश्वामित्रजी एक हजार दिव्य वर्षोंतक प्रतिदिन एक समय भोजन करके भूखका कष्ट सहते हुए तपमें लगे रहे। उससे उन्हें ब्राह्मणत्वकी प्राप्ति हुई ।।
parama-buddhimān viśvāmitraḥ sahasraṁ divya-varṣāṇi pratidinam eka-kāla-bhojī bhūksā-kleśaṁ sahamānas tapasi rato 'bhavat; tena tasya brāhmaṇatva-prāptiḥ. cyavano jamadagniś ca vasiṣṭho gautamo bhṛguḥ; sarva eva kṣamāvanto maharṣaya upavāsenaiva divam prāptāḥ.
Aṅgiras dijo: El sapientísimo Viśvāmitra practicó austeridades durante mil años divinos, comiendo sólo una vez al día y soportando el tormento del hambre; por esa disciplina alcanzó la condición de brāhmaṇa. Del mismo modo, los grandes rishis Cyavana, Jamadagni, Vasiṣṭha, Gautama y Bhṛgu—pacientes y tolerantes por naturaleza—llegaron a los mundos celestiales mediante el ayuno y el dominio de sí.
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
Endurance (kṣamā) and disciplined austerity (tapas), especially restraint in eating and fasting, are presented as powerful ethical-spiritual practices that can transform one’s status and lead to higher attainments.
Aṅgiras cites Viśvāmitra’s long austerity—eating once daily for a thousand divine years—to explain his attainment of brāhmaṇa status, and then lists other renowned sages who reached heavenly realms through fasting and forbearance.