Chapter 84: Brahmā’s Counsel on Tāraka, the Search for Agni, and the Genesis of Skanda
Kārttikeya
गवामुष्णं पय: पीत्वा ऋयहमुष्णं घृतं पिबेत् । त्रयहमुष्णं घृतं पीत्वा वायुभक्षो भवेत् ऋ यहम्
gavām uṣṇaṃ payaḥ pītvā tryaham uṣṇaṃ ghṛtaṃ pibet | tryaham uṣṇaṃ ghṛtaṃ pītvā vāyubhakṣo bhavet tryaham ||
व्यास ने कहा— गरम गोदुग्ध पीने के पश्चात् तीन दिनों तक गरम-गरम गोघृत पिए। तीन दिन गरम घृत पीकर फिर तीन दिनों तक केवल वायु का आहार करके रहे।
व्यास उवाच
The verse teaches disciplined, step-by-step restraint: a regulated intake (warm cow’s milk, then warm ghee) culminating in a brief fast (living on air). It frames bodily discipline as a dharmic tool for purification and strengthening self-control.
Vyāsa is prescribing a specific ascetic regimen—first warm cow’s milk, then warm ghee for three days, and finally three days of fasting (vāyubhakṣa). The passage functions as practical instruction within a broader discussion of dharma and observances.