Shloka 104
पुण्यादेव प्रव्रजन्ति शुद्धयन्त्यमशनानि च । न मूलफलभभक्षित्वान्न मौनान्नानिलाशनात्,मनुष्य पुण्यके प्रभावसे ही उत्तम गतिको प्राप्त होते हैं। उपवास भी पुण्यसे अर्थात् निष्कामभावसे ही शुद्धिका कारण होता है। (बिना शुद्धभावके) केवल फल-मूल खाने, मौन रहने, हवा पीने, सिर मुँड़ाने, एक स्थानपर कुटी बनाकर रहने, सिरपर जटा रखाने, वेदीपर सोने, नित्य उपवास, अग्निसेवन, जलप्रवेश तथा भूमिशयन करनेसे भी शुद्धि नहीं होती है
puṇyād eva pravrajanti śuddhayanty amaśanāni ca | na mūla-phala-bhakṣitvān na maunān nānilāśanāt ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “It is by merit (puṇya) alone that people truly renounce the world, and it is by merit alone that fasts become purifying. Not by merely living on roots and fruits, not by silence, and not by ‘living on air’ does one attain purity. Outer austerities, when devoid of inner purity and selfless intention, do not cleanse a person; it is the ethical power of genuine merit that leads to the higher path.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True purification and genuine renunciation arise from puṇya—ethical merit grounded in inner purity and selfless intention—not from external austerities performed mechanically or for display.
Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the value of ascetic practices, emphasizing that fasting and renunciant disciplines become meaningful only when supported by inner virtue; mere outward vows like fruit-and-root diet, silence, or extreme deprivation do not by themselves confer spiritual purity.