Shloka 2
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
ब्रह्मक्षत्रेण नियमाश्च॒र्तव्या इति न: श्रुतम् उपवासे कथं तेषां कृत्यमस्ति पितामह,पितामह! सुननेमें आया है कि ब्राह्मण और क्षत्रियोंको नियमोंका पालन करना चाहिये; परंतु उपवास करनेसे किस प्रकार उनके प्रयोजनकी सिद्धि होती है, यह नहीं जान पड़ता है
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | brahmakṣatreṇa niyamāś cartavyā iti naḥ śrutam | upavāse kathaṃ teṣāṃ kṛtyam asti pitāmaha pitāmaha ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Ouvimos que brâmanes e kshatriyas estão obrigados a observar disciplinas e restrições prescritas. Contudo, ó Avô, não vejo como seus objetivos se cumprem pelo jejum—de que modo o jejum se torna para eles um dever significativo?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: disciplines (niyama) are acknowledged as obligatory for Brahmins and Kshatriyas, but Yudhiṣṭhira asks for the ethical rationale—how fasting concretely serves their rightful aims. It invites an explanation of austerity as a means of self-control, purification, and strengthening commitment to duty.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction setting, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Bhīṣma as ‘Pitāmaha’ and seeks clarification about the practical purpose of fasting within the duties of the leading social orders, preparing the ground for Bhīṣma’s teaching on observances and their fruits.