Shloka 121
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
एकोनत्रिंशे दिवसे यः प्राशेदेकभोजनम्,जो बारह महीनोंतक सदा सत्यव्रतके पालनमें तत्पर हो उन््तीसवें दिन एक बार भोजन करता है, उसे देवर्षियों तथा राजर्षियोंद्वारा पूजित दिव्य मंगलमय लोक प्राप्त होते हैं
ekonatriṁśe divase yaḥ prāśed ekabhojanam | yo dvādaśa māsān yāvat sadā satyavrate pālane tatparo bhavati, sa ekonatriṁśe dine ekavāraṁ bhuṅkte; tena devarṣibhiḥ rājarṣibhiś ca pūjitaṁ divyaṁ maṅgalamayaṁ lokaṁ prāpnoti ||
Disse Bhishma: Aquele que, por doze meses, permanece constantemente devotado ao voto da verdade e, no vigésimo nono dia, come apenas uma vez, alcança um reino divino e auspicioso, honrado pelos rishis celestes e pelos rishis reais. O ensinamento louva a contenção disciplinada unida a uma veracidade inabalável como caminho para uma elevada recompensa espiritual.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthfulness sustained as a vow, combined with disciplined moderation in eating (single-meal observance on a specified day), is presented as a dharmic practice that yields exalted spiritual merit and access to auspicious celestial realms.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira on dharma by describing the fruits of specific vratas. Here he states the reward for a year-long commitment to satyavrata coupled with a regulated single-meal observance on the twenty-ninth day.