Umā–Maheśvara-saṃvāda: Varṇa-bhraṃśa, Ācāra (Vṛtta), and Karmic Ascent/Decline
तपोधनो! मनुष्य जिस प्रकार बिना किसी संशयके यज्ञका फल पाता है, वह सब पूर्णरूपसे बताऊँगा, सुनो ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca: Tapodhana! manuṣyaḥ yathā vinā saṁśayena yajñasya phalaṁ prāpnoti, tat sarvaṁ pūrṇarūpeṇa vakṣyāmi—śṛṇu. Pauṣamāsasya śukle vai yadā yujyeta Rohiṇī, tena nakṣatrayogena ākāśaśayano bhavet.
ビーシュマは言った。「苦行に富む者よ、聞け。人が疑いなく祭祀の果報を得る道を、我は余すところなく説こう。パウシャ月の白分(明半月)において、月宿ローヒニー(Rohiṇī)が合する日、その夜は露天の下、天を仰いで眠るべきである。清浄と専心の信をもってこの誓戒を守るなら、大いなる祭祀に等しい功徳を得る。」
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma teaches that disciplined observances aligned with sacred time—performed with purity, faith, and concentration—can yield merit comparable to major sacrifices, showing that inner sincerity and right practice can substitute for costly ritual.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing on dharma and religious observances; here he prescribes a specific time-bound vow in the month of Pauṣa when Rohiṇī is conjoined, stating that sleeping under the open sky on that night grants great sacrificial merit.