Shloka 14
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
पज्चम्यां वापि षष्ठ्यां च पौर्णमास्यां च भारत । उपोष्य एकभक्तेन नियतात्मा जितेन्द्रिय:
pañcamyāṃ vāpi ṣaṣṭhyāṃ ca paurṇamāsyāṃ ca bhārata | upoṣya ekabhaktena niyatātmā jitendriyaḥ ||
Aṅgiras berkata: “Wahai Bhārata, jika seseorang, dengan minda terkawal dan indera ditundukkan, berpuasa pada hari kelima, hari keenam, dan pada hari purnama—hanya mengambil satu kali makan (dan menahan diri pada waktu yang satu lagi)—maka dia menjadi pemaaf, elok rupa dan berilmu. Orang bijaksana demikian tidak akan jatuh ke dalam kemandulan zuriat atau kemiskinan.”
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
Regular, disciplined fasting on specific lunar days—paired with restraint of mind and senses and the ekabhakta practice (one meal)—is presented as a dharmic austerity that cultivates virtues (especially forgiveness) and supports well-being, learning, and stability in household life.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma and observances, the sage Aṅgiras addresses “Bhārata” and recommends a vrata: fasting on pañcamī, ṣaṣṭhī, and paurṇamāsī with self-control, describing the ethical and worldly fruits attributed to this practice.