Shloka 18
Karma-Phala Rahasya and the Ethics of Dāna (कर्मफल-रहस्यं दानधर्मश्च)
सलिलाशी भवेद् यस्तु सदाग्नि: संस्कृतो द्विज: । मनुं साधयतो राज्यं नाकपृष्ठमनाशके
salilāśī bhaved yas tu sadāgniḥ saṃskṛto dvijaḥ | manuṃ sādhayato rājyaṃ nākapṛṣṭham anāśake ||
Bhīṣma dit : Ce dvija—le « deux fois né »—bien formé, qui ne vit que d’eau, entretient sans cesse les feux sacrés et se voue à la pratique disciplinée des mantras, obtient la souveraineté tout en observant l’ordonnance de Manu ; et en entreprenant le vœu du jeûne (s’abstenir de nourriture), l’homme atteint le monde céleste.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links disciplined ascetic practice and Vedic ritual observance with tangible and transcendent rewards: sovereignty (as a fruit of dharmic discipline aligned with Manu’s ordinance) and heavenly attainment through rigorous fasting. It emphasizes that self-restraint and sustained sacred duty generate spiritual and social authority.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma continues advising on vows and religious disciplines. Here he describes exemplary Brahminical austerities—living on water, maintaining the sacred fires, and mantra-practice—and states the resulting fruits: rulership for the dharma-practitioner and heaven for one who undertakes fasting.