Shloka 5
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
तुल्यो यज्ञफलैरेतैस्तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह । इसलिये जिस कर्मका अनुष्ठान दरिद्रों, गुणहीनों, एकाकी और असहायोंके लिये भी सुगम तथा बड़े-बड़े यज्ञोंके समान फल देनेवाला हो, उसीका मुझसे वर्णन कीजिये ।।
tulyo yajñaphalair etais tan me brūhi pitāmaha | idam aṅgirasā proktam upavāsaphalātmakam ||
ಯುಧಿಷ್ಠಿರನು ಹೇಳಿದರು— ಪಿತಾಮಹ! ಈ ಮಹಾಯಜ್ಞಗಳ ಫಲಕ್ಕೆ ಸಮಾನವಾದ ಫಲ ನೀಡುವ ಆ ಆಚರಣೆಯನ್ನು ನನಗೆ ಹೇಳಿರಿ। ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು— ಇದು ಉಪವಾಸಫಲಸ್ವರೂಪವಾದ ಧರ್ಮ; ಅಂಗಿರಸ ಋಷಿಯು ಇದನ್ನು ಉಪದೇಶಿಸಿದ್ದಾನೆ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma seeks a dharmic practice that is universally accessible—especially to those without wealth, status, or support—yet grants merit comparable to elaborate sacrifices; the verse points toward upavāsa (fasting) as such a high-yield, low-resource discipline.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma addresses the revered elder authority (“Pitāmaha”) and asks for guidance on a practice equal in fruit to great yajñas; he introduces that this teaching is attributed to the sage Aṅgiras and concerns the fruits of fasting.