Shloka 52
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
जो बारह महीनोंतक प्रतिदिन अग्निहोत्र करता हुआ प्रति ग्यारहवें दिन एक बार हविष्यान्न ग्रहण करता है
yo dvādaśa māsān pratidinam agnihotraṃ kurvan pratyekādaśe dine ekavāraṃ haviṣyānnaṃ gṛhṇāti, manaḥ-vāgbhyāṃ api kadācit parastrī-abhilāṣaṃ na karoti, mātā-pitṛbhyāṃ ca kṛte kadācid api mṛṣā na vadati, sa vimāne virājamānaṃ parama-śaktimantaṃ mahādevaṃ samīpaṃ gacchati, sahasra-aśvamedha-yajñānāṃ śreṣṭhatamaṃ phalaṃ prāpnoti. svāyambhuvaṃ ca paśyet vimānaṃ samupasthitam; kumāryaḥ kāñcanābhāsā rūpavatyo nayanti tam.
Dijo Bhīṣma: «Quien durante doce meses realiza a diario el Agnihotra y, cada undécimo día, toma una sola vez alimento hecho únicamente de havis (oblaciones); quien no desea jamás, ni en pensamiento ni en palabra, a la esposa de otro; y quien no miente ni siquiera por su madre y su padre—ese hombre alcanza la presencia del poderosísimo Mahādeva, sentado en su carro celestial, y recibe el fruto supremo, dicho igual al de mil sacrificios Aśvamedha. Contempla el carro celeste, auto-manifestado, que se ha acercado; y doncellas radiantes, de brillo dorado y gran hermosura, lo conducen hacia adelante.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that disciplined daily duty (Agnihotra), periodic restraint in food, strict chastity even at the level of thought and speech, and unwavering truthfulness—even when speaking to one’s parents—together constitute a powerful dharmic life that yields the highest spiritual merit and divine proximity.
Bhishma describes the posthumous reward of a practitioner who follows these vows: a divine vimana appears, radiant celestial maidens escort him, and he is led to the presence of Mahadeva, gaining merit proclaimed superior to that of a thousand Ashvamedha sacrifices.