Shloka 16
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
यजिष्णु: पञ्चमीं षष्ठीं कुले भोजयते द्विजान् | अष्टमीमथ कौरव्य कृष्णपक्षे चतुर्दशीम्
yajiṣṇuḥ pañcamīṃ ṣaṣṭhīṃ kule bhojayate dvijān | aṣṭamīm atha kauravya kṛṣṇapakṣe caturdaśīm ||
Aṅgiras berkata: “Seorang yang tekun dalam yajña dan kewajiban suci memberi jamuan kepada para dvija (Brahmana) pada tithi kelima dan keenam dalam tata keluarga; dan, wahai keturunan Kuru, demikian pula pada tithi kedelapan serta pada tithi keempat belas di paruh gelap bulan.”
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that dharma is upheld through disciplined generosity: feeding learned Brahmins on specific lunar days (tithis) as part of family observance. Regular, rule-governed giving and hospitality are presented as a concrete practice of righteousness.
The sage Aṅgiras is instructing a Kuru-descended listener about prescribed days for hosting and feeding Brahmins—fifth, sixth, eighth, and the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight—within the broader Anuśāsana Parva discourse on duties, gifts, and religious observances.