Shloka 25
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
जो स्त्री अथवा पुरुष इन्द्रियसंयमपूर्वक एक समय भोजन करके वैशाख मासको पार करता है, वह सजातीय बन्धु-बान्धवोंमें श्रेष्ठताको प्राप्त होता है ।।
aṅgirā uvāca |
yo strī athavā puruṣa indriyasaṃyamapūrvakaṃ ekakālaṃ bhojanaṃ kṛtvā vaiśākha-māsaṃ pārayati, sa sajātīya-bandhu-bāndhaveṣu śreṣṭhatāṃ prāpnoti ||
jyeṣṭha-mūlaṃ tu yo māsam ekabhaktena saṃkṣipet |
aiśvaryam atulaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ pumān strī vā prapadyate ||
Siapa pun—perempuan atau laki-laki—yang menahan indria lalu menjalani bulan Vaiśākha dengan makan sekali sehari, menjadi yang utama di antara sanak-kerabatnya. Dan siapa pun yang menuntaskan bulan Jyeṣṭha dengan satu kali makan sehari, baik perempuan maupun laki-laki, memperoleh kemakmuran yang tiada banding dan mulia.
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
Self-restraint expressed through a simple, disciplined vow—eating once daily during sacred months—cultivates merit that manifests as social esteem among one’s kin and as exceptional prosperity, regardless of gender.
In a didactic passage on vows and their fruits within the Anuśāsana Parva, the sage Aṅgirā instructs about monthly observances (Vaiśākha and Jyeṣṭha) and states the rewards promised for completing them with sense-control and single-meal discipline.