Shloka 32
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
दिवसे सप्तमे यस्तु प्राश्नीयादेकभोजनम्
divase saptame yas tu prāśnīyād ekabhojanam | yo dvādaśa māsān prati saptame dine ekakālaṁ bhuṅkte, pratidinam agnau āhutiṁ dadāti, vāṇīṁ saṁyamya brahmacaryaṁ carati, puṣpamālā-candana-madhu-māṁsāni ca sadā tyajati, sa marudgaṇaiḥ saha indraloke gacchati ||
Bhīṣma berkata: Siapa yang selama dua belas bulan, pada setiap hari ketujuh, hanya makan sekali; setiap hari mempersembahkan oblation ke dalam api suci, mengekang ucapan, dan menjalankan brahmacarya; serta untuk selamanya meninggalkan rangkaian bunga, cendana, madu, dan daging—orang itu mencapai dunia Indra, berdiam bersama para Marut.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained austerity joined with purity—regulated eating, daily fire-offerings, restraint of speech, and brahmacarya—along with renunciation of sensual enjoyments, is presented as a dharmic discipline that yields high spiritual merit and leads to Indra’s heaven among the Maruts.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma through vows and observances. Here he describes a specific year-long vrata: eating once on every seventh day, performing daily āhutis, practicing verbal restraint and brahmacarya, and giving up certain pleasures; he then states the फल (result)—attainment of Indraloka with the Maruts.