Shloka 22

मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity

Devanagari script

दिवसे पउ्चमे यस्तु प्राश्नीयादेकभोजनम्‌

Transliteration

divase pañcame yas tu prāśnīyād ekabhojanam, anasūyur apāpastho dvādaśāhaphalaṁ labhet.

Translation

ビーシュマは言った。「五日ごとに一度だけ食を取り、悪意なく、罪なき境地に堅く住する者は、『ドヴァーダシャーハ』（十二日祭）の功徳に等しい果報を得る。」

Word by Word

• divase: on the day
• divase: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: divasa
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• pañcame: fifth
• pañcame: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañcama
• Form: masculine, locative, singular

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: yad
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• tu: indeed/but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu

• prāśnīyāt: should eat
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√aś
• Form: optative, 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

• eka-bhojanam: a single meal (once-a-day meal)
• eka-bhojanam: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka-bhojana
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• an-asūyuḥ: free from envy/censoriousness
• an-asūyuḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-asūyu
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• a-pāpa-sthaḥ: standing apart from sin / not abiding in sin
• a-pāpa-sthaḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-pāpa-stha
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• dvādaśāha-phalam: the fruit of the Dvādaśāha (twelve-day rite)
• dvādaśāha-phalam: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśāha-phala
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• labhet: would obtain
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh
• Form: optative, 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Dvādaśāha (twelve-day sacrifice)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Sincere self-discipline—especially regulated eating combined with freedom from malice and avoidance of sin—can yield merit comparable to major Vedic sacrifices, showing that ethical purity and restraint are central to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he describes a specific austerity (eating once on every fifth day) and states its spiritual reward: the fruit of the Dvādaśāha sacrifice, thereby encouraging practical, inner-focused observances.