Shloka 166
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
उपोष्य व्याधिरहितो वीर्यवानभिजायते । कुरुनन्दन! जो पुरुष भगवान्की आराधनाका इच्छुक होकर पंचमी
upoṣya vyādhir-ahito vīryavān abhijāyate | kurunandana! yo puruṣo bhagavān-ārādhanāyā icchukaḥ san pañcamī-ṣaṣṭhī-aṣṭamī tathā kṛṣṇapakṣasya caturdaśyāṁ svagṛhe brāhmaṇān bhojayati svayaṁ copavāsam ācarati, sa rogarahito balavān bhavati |
Aṅgiras dit : «Par le jeûne, l’homme devient exempt de maladie et pourvu de vigueur. Ô joie des Kuru ! Celui qui, désireux d’adorer le Seigneur, nourrit des brahmanes dans sa propre demeure aux cinquième, sixième et huitième jours lunaires, ainsi qu’au quatorzième jour de la quinzaine sombre (kṛṣṇa-pakṣa), tandis que lui-même observe le jeûne—celui-là devient sain et fort.»
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
Devotional discipline (upavāsa) combined with charitable hospitality (feeding Brāhmaṇas on specified lunar days) is presented as a dharmic practice that yields tangible fruits—freedom from illness and increased strength—linking religious observance with ethical giving and personal self-restraint.
The sage Aṅgiras instructs a Kuru prince (addressed as Kurunandana) about a specific pattern of observances: on certain tithis—pañcamī, ṣaṣṭhī, aṣṭamī, and kṛṣṇapakṣa-caturdaśī—one should host and feed Brahmins at home while personally fasting, as an act of worship toward Bhagavān.