Shloka 26
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
शराग्निपरिमाणं च तत्रासौ वसते सुखम् । वह सूर्यकी किरणमालाओंके समान प्रकाशमान तथा जाम्बूनद नामक सुवर्णके बने हुए श्वेतकान्तिवाले हंसलक्षित दिव्य विमानकर आरूढ़ होता तथा चार
divase yastu ṣaṣṭhe vai muniḥ prāśeta bhojanam | gavāṁ medhasya yajñasya phalaṁ prāpnotyanuttamam ||
Bhishma berkata: “Pertapa yang hanya makan sekali pada setiap hari keenam memperoleh pahala yang tiada bandingan, iaitu buah kebajikan daripada upacara Gomeda (korban lembu). Ajaran ini memuji pengekangan diri yang berdisiplin—tapa yang teratur dan kehidupan yang terkawal—sebagai jalan dharma, dengan ganjaran rohaninya disamakan dengan persembahan ritual yang agung.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rigorous self-restraint—here, eating only once every sixth day—is presented as a powerful dharmic practice whose spiritual merit can equal or surpass that of major sacrificial rituals, emphasizing inner discipline over external display.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he enumerates vows and observances and states the reward for a particular ascetic regimen: a sage who follows this strict eating schedule gains the supreme fruit associated with the Gomeda sacrifice.