Shloka 10
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
सायं प्रातर्मनुष्याणामशन वेदनिर्मितम् । नान्तरा भोजन दृष्टमुपवासी तथा भवेत्
sāyaṃ prātar manuṣyāṇām aśanaṃ vedanirmitam | nāntarā bhojanaṃ dṛṣṭam upavāsī tathā bhavet ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Bagi manusia, Veda telah menetapkan makan hanya pada dua waktu—pada petang dan pada pagi. Tiada ketetapan yang membenarkan makan di antaranya. Sesiapa yang mematuhi disiplin ini dianggap sebagai upavāsin, memperoleh pahala yang terkait dengan puasa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches restraint in food: eating only at the two prescribed times (morning and evening) is a dharmic discipline, and avoiding meals in between is treated as equivalent in merit to fasting.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct; here he lays down a rule of regulated eating grounded in Vedic authority, linking daily discipline with the spiritual fruit of upavāsa.