Shloka 101
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
जो लगातार बारह महीनोंतक मिताहारी और जितेन्द्रिय होकर तेईसवें दिन एक बार भोजन करता है, वह वायु, शुक्राचार्य तथा रुद्रके लोकमें जाता है ।।
yo lagātāraṃ dvādaśa-māsebhyaḥ mitāhārī jitendriyaś ca bhūtvā trayoviṃśe dine ekavāraṃ bhojanaṃ karoti, sa vāyu-śukrācārya-rudra-lokeṣu gacchati. kāmacārī kāmagamaḥ pūjyamāno 'psarogaṇaiḥ, anekaguṇa-paryantaṃ vimāna-varaṃ āsthitaḥ.
Bhishma berkata: Siapa yang selama dua belas bulan berturut-turut hidup dengan makan secukupnya dan menaklukkan indria, lalu pada hari kedua puluh tiga hanya makan sekali, akan mencapai alam Vayu, Shukracharya, dan Rudra. Di sana ia bergerak bebas menurut kehendaknya dan memperoleh apa pun yang diinginkan; dihormati oleh rombongan apsara, ia bersemayam dalam kereta langit yang unggul untuk masa pahala yang berlipat ganda dan amat panjang.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that sustained moderation in food (mitāhāra) and mastery over the senses (jitendriyatā), practiced as a long-term vow, is a dharmic austerity that generates great merit and leads to exalted posthumous attainments.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma and religious observances, he describes a specific year-long regimen—eating only once on every twenty-third day—then states the heavenly rewards: access to divine realms (of Vayu, Shukra, and Rudra), honor by apsarases, and residence in a splendid celestial vimāna.