Shloka 93
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
एकविंशे तु दिवसे यो भुड्क्ते होकभोजनम्
ekaviṁśe tu divase yo bhuṅkte hokabhojanam, sevyamāno varastrībhiḥ krīḍaty amaravat prabhuḥ |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Sesiapa yang menegakkan disiplin Agnihotra setiap hari, lalu pada hari kedua puluh satu hanya makan sekali—dengan hidangan sederhana yang teratur—akan mencapai alam-alam surgawi. Di sana, duduk di atas vimāna yang gemilang dan dilayani wanita-wanita unggul, dia hidup seperti tuan di kalangan para abadi, bersuka-ria dalam kenikmatan ilahi, tanpa disentuh dukacita.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links disciplined ritual observance and regulated eating (a form of tapas and niyama) with auspicious karmic results—attainment of higher worlds and freedom from sorrow—presenting self-restraint and fidelity to sacred duty as ethically potent.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the fruits of vows and rites. Here he describes the exalted posthumous condition of one who maintains Agnihotra and follows a strict regimen culminating in eating once on the twenty-first day, enjoying divine status and pleasures in celestial realms.