Shloka 48
Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
तपोधनो! मनुष्य जिस प्रकार बिना किसी संशयके यज्ञका फल पाता है, वह सब पूर्णरूपसे बताऊँगा, सुनो ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca: Tapodhana! manuṣyaḥ yathā vinā saṁśayena yajñasya phalaṁ prāpnoti, tat sarvaṁ pūrṇarūpeṇa vakṣyāmi—śṛṇu. Pauṣamāsasya śukle vai yadā yujyeta Rohiṇī, tena nakṣatrayogena ākāśaśayano bhavet.
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô toi, riche d’austérités, écoute : je t’exposerai pleinement comment un homme obtient, sans aucun doute, le fruit du sacrifice. Dans la quinzaine claire du mois de Pauṣa, lorsque la demeure lunaire Rohiṇī est en conjonction, qu’il dorme cette nuit-là sous le ciel ouvert. En observant ce vœu avec pureté et foi recueillie, il acquiert un mérite comparable à celui d’un grand sacrifice.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that disciplined observances aligned with sacred time—performed with purity, faith, and concentration—can yield merit comparable to major sacrifices, showing that inner sincerity and right practice can substitute for costly ritual.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing on dharma and religious observances; here he prescribes a specific time-bound vow in the month of Pauṣa when Rohiṇī is conjoined, stating that sleeping under the open sky on that night grants great sacrificial merit.