Shloka 36
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
यस्तु संवत्सरं क्षान्तो भुड्क्तेडहन्यष्टमे नर:
yastu saṁvatsaraṁ kṣānto bhuṅkte ’hany aṣṭame naraḥ, devatānāṁ kāryeṣu tatparaḥ san nityam agnihotraṁ ca juhoti, tasmai pauṇḍarīka-yāgasya śreṣṭhatamaṁ phalaṁ prāpyate
Dijo Bhishma: Aquel que, durante un año entero, permanece paciente y perdonador con todos, come sólo una vez cada octavo día, se mantiene dedicado a los deberes debidos a los dioses y realiza a diario el Agnihotra—alcanza el fruto más excelso del sacrificio Pauṇḍarīka. La enseñanza ensalza la contención disciplinada, la tolerancia y la fidelidad al deber ritual como senda de gran mérito religioso.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained forgiveness, disciplined austerity (eating only once every eight days), and faithful performance of daily sacred duties—especially Agnihotra—are presented as powerful means of earning the highest religious merit, comparable to the best fruit of a great sacrifice.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he describes a specific year-long vow combining restraint, patience, and ritual observance, and he states the exalted spiritual reward that accrues from such conduct.