Shloka 40
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
सदा द्वादशमासान् वै जुह्मानो जातवेदसम् | अश्वमेधसहस्रस्य फल प्राप्रोत्यनुत्तमम्
sadā dvādaśa-māsān vai juhvāno jātavedasam | aśvamedha-sahasrasya phalaṁ prāpnoty anuttamam ||
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದನು—ಯಾವನು ಹನ್ನೆರಡು ತಿಂಗಳುಗಳೂ ನಿರಂತರವಾಗಿ ಜಾತವೇದಸನಾದ ಅಗ್ನಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆಹುತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಅರ್ಪಿಸುತ್ತಾನೋ—ಅವನು ಸಾವಿರ ಅಶ್ವಮೇಧ ಯಜ್ಞಗಳ ಸಮಾನವಾದ ಅನುತ್ತಮ ಫಲವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Consistent daily sacrificial discipline—regular oblations to Agni sustained over a full year—can yield spiritual merit comparable to the most prestigious and costly royal sacrifices, emphasizing steadiness and self-restraint over spectacle.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he praises a year-long regimen of daily fire-offerings (homa) and declares its fruit to be equal to that of performing a thousand Aśvamedha rites, thereby guiding the listener toward accessible yet rigorous religious practice.