Shloka 39
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
यस्तु संवत्सरं भुड्क्ते नवमे नवमे5हनि,जो एक वर्षतक नौ-नौ दिनपर एक समय भोजन करता है और बारहों महीने प्रतिदिन अग्निमें आहुति देता है, उसे एक हजार अश्वमेध यज्ञका परम उत्तम फल प्राप्त होता है
yastu saṁvatsaraṁ bhuṅkte navame navame 'hani, sa eka-varṣaṁ yāvat nava-nava-dine ekakālaṁ bhojanaṁ karoti dvādaśa-māsān pratidinam agnau āhutiṁ dadāti; tasmai sahasrāśvamedha-yajñānāṁ paramottamaṁ phalaṁ prāpyate.
Bhishma berkata: Sesiapa yang selama setahun penuh makan hanya sekali pada setiap hari kesembilan, dan sepanjang dua belas bulan mempersembahkan oblaasi ke dalam api suci setiap hari—orang yang berdisiplin itu memperoleh pahala yang amat unggul, setara dengan seribu korban Aśvamedha. Ajaran ini memuji pengekangan diri yang teguh berserta kewajipan suci harian sebagai jalan etika menuju ganjaran rohani yang besar.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained self-control (eating only once every ninth day) combined with unwavering daily sacred duty (offering oblations into the fire) is praised as extraordinarily meritorious—ethically elevating inner discipline and consistent practice above mere display, equating it with the fruit of grand royal sacrifices.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he describes a specific year-long vow of regulated eating and daily fire-offerings, then states the resulting spiritual merit: the highest fruit comparable to that of a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices.