Shloka 42
Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
वायुभक्षो<म्बुभक्षो वा फलमूलाशनोडपि वा । यक्षेष्वैश्वर्यमाधाय मोदते5प्सरसां गणै:,जो वायु, जल, फल अथवा मूल खाकर रहता है, वह यक्षोंपर अपना प्रभुत्व स्थापित करके अप्सराओंके साथ आनन्द भोगता है
vāyubhakṣo 'mbubhakṣo vā phalamūlāśano 'pi vā | yakṣeṣv aiśvaryam ādhāya modate 'psarasāṃ gaṇaiḥ ||
Mahādeva bersabda: “Sama ada seseorang hidup dengan menyara diri pada angin, pada air, atau bahkan pada buah-buahan dan akar, pertapa itu—setelah menegakkan kekuasaan di kalangan Yakṣa—bersukaria bersama rombongan Apsarā.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that rigorous austerity and disciplined living (subsisting on air, water, fruits, or roots) are portrayed as generating powerful karmic merit, culminating in elevated status—here, sovereignty among Yakṣas—and access to celestial pleasures (Apsarases).
Śiva (Mahēśvara) is describing the fruits of ascetic practices: an ascetic who undertakes severe dietary restraint is said to attain dominion in the Yakṣa realm and then delight in the company of Apsarases, illustrating the reward-structure associated with tapas.