Shloka 64
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
यावन्ति रोमकूपाणि तस्य गात्रेषु पाण्डव | तावन्त्येव सहस््राणि वर्षाणां दिवि मोदते,पाण्डुनन्दन! उसके शरीरमें जितने रोमकूप होते हैं, उतने ही सहस्र वर्षोतक वह स्वर्गलोकमें सुखपूर्वक निवास करता है
yāvanti romakūpāṇi tasya gātreṣu pāṇḍava | tāvanty eva sahasrāṇi varṣāṇāṁ divi modate pāṇḍunandana ||
Aṅgirā disse: “Ó Pāṇḍava, filho de Pāṇḍu—tantos quantos forem os poros de pelos em seus membros, por tantos milhares de anos ele se regozija no céu.”
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that dharmic merit yields definite and proportionate results: even a single righteous act can produce vast heavenly enjoyment, expressed through a striking measure—thousands of years in heaven corresponding to the number of hair-follicles on the body.
In the instructional setting of the Anuśāsana Parva, the sage Aṅgiras addresses a Pāṇḍava (commonly understood as Yudhiṣṭhira) and describes the heavenly reward attained by a person (contextually, one who has performed a praised virtuous deed), quantifying the duration of bliss in Svarga.