Shloka 69
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
परम बुद्धिमान् विश्वामित्रजी एक हजार दिव्य वर्षोंतक प्रतिदिन एक समय भोजन करके भूखका कष्ट सहते हुए तपमें लगे रहे। उससे उन्हें ब्राह्मणत्वकी प्राप्ति हुई ।।
parama-buddhimān viśvāmitraḥ sahasraṁ divya-varṣāṇi pratidinam eka-kāla-bhojī bhūksā-kleśaṁ sahamānas tapasi rato 'bhavat; tena tasya brāhmaṇatva-prāptiḥ. cyavano jamadagniś ca vasiṣṭho gautamo bhṛguḥ; sarva eva kṣamāvanto maharṣaya upavāsenaiva divam prāptāḥ.
Aṅgiras disse: O supremo sábio Viśvāmitra praticou austeridades por mil anos divinos, alimentando-se apenas uma vez por dia e suportando a dor da fome; por essa disciplina alcançou a condição de brāhmaṇa. Do mesmo modo, os grandes ṛṣis Cyavana, Jamadagni, Vasiṣṭha, Gautama e Bhṛgu—pacientes e indulgentes por natureza—atingiram os mundos celestes por meio do jejum e do autocontrole.
अंगियरा उवाच
Educational Q&A
Endurance (kṣamā) and disciplined austerity (tapas), especially restraint in eating and fasting, are presented as powerful ethical-spiritual practices that can transform one’s status and lead to higher attainments.
Aṅgiras cites Viśvāmitra’s long austerity—eating once daily for a thousand divine years—to explain his attainment of brāhmaṇa status, and then lists other renowned sages who reached heavenly realms through fasting and forbearance.