Shloka 12
समाहितेन चीर्णानि सर्वाण्येव व्रतानि मे । वायुभक्षोपवास श्च कृतो मे विधिवत् पुरा
samāhitena cīrṇāni sarvāṇy eva vratāni me | vāyubhakṣopavāsaś ca kṛto me vidhivat purā ||
ഗൗതമൻ പറഞ്ഞു—സമാഹിതമായ മനസ്സോടെ എന്റെ എല്ലാ വ്രതങ്ങളും ഞാൻ യഥാവിധി അനുഷ്ഠിച്ചു. പൂർവകാലത്ത് നിയമപ്രകാരം ‘വായുഭക്ഷ’ ഉപവാസവും ഞാൻ ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ട്।
गौतम उवाच
Educational Q&A
True austerity is not mere physical hardship but disciplined practice performed with mental composure and in accordance with prescribed dharma; vows gain ethical force when observed steadily, correctly, and without agitation.
Gautama is presenting his credentials as an ascetic: he declares that he has completed all his vows with focused mind and that he previously undertook an extreme penance—subsisting on air alone—following proper ritual procedure, establishing the seriousness of his tapas.