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 ||
Celui qui est exempt de détresse et de maladie, et qui entreprend le vœu du jeûne, obtient à chaque pas le mérite d’un sacrifice (yajña) — il n’y a là aucun doute. L’enseignement souligne que l’austérité (tapas) n’a de portée éthique que lorsqu’elle est accomplie avec un corps apte et une stabilité intérieure, non sous la contrainte de la maladie ou de la souffrance.
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.