Shloka 6
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
भरतश्रेष्ठ! मनुष्य किस कर्मके द्वारा पापसे छुटकारा पाता है और क्या करनेसे किस प्रकार उसे धर्मकी प्राप्ति होती है? वह पुण्य और स्वर्ग कैसे पाता है? ।।
bharataśreṣṭha! manuṣyaḥ kasya karmaṇā pāpāt pramucyate, kiṃ ca kṛtvā kathaṃ dharmam avāpnoti? sa puṇyaṃ svargaṃ ca kathaṃ prāpnoti? upoṣya cāpi kiṃ tena pradeyaṃ sthān-narādhipa? dharmeṇa ca sukhān-arthāl lābhed yena, brūhi taṃ me nareśvara.
Yudhiṣṭhira demande : «Ô le meilleur des Bharata, par quel acte l’homme se délivre-t-il du péché ? En faisant quoi, et de quelle manière, atteint-il le dharma ? Comment acquiert-il le mérite et parvient-il au ciel ? Et s’il observe un jeûne, que doit-il donner en aumône ? Dis-le-moi, ô roi parmi les hommes : quel dharma procure bonheur et prospérité ?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic dharma-inquiry: liberation from sin is linked to right action, and religious observances like fasting are incomplete without appropriate charity. Yudhiṣṭhira seeks a practical dharma that yields inner well-being (sukha) and rightful prosperity (artha) while generating merit (puṇya) leading to heavenly reward (svarga).
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses an elder/kingly authority and asks for guidance on moral purification, the means to attain dharma, and the proper gift to accompany fasting—requesting a clear rule of conduct that produces both ethical and beneficial outcomes.