Shloka 5
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
तुल्यो यज्ञफलैरेतैस्तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह । इसलिये जिस कर्मका अनुष्ठान दरिद्रों, गुणहीनों, एकाकी और असहायोंके लिये भी सुगम तथा बड़े-बड़े यज्ञोंके समान फल देनेवाला हो, उसीका मुझसे वर्णन कीजिये ।।
tulyo yajñaphalair etais tan me brūhi pitāmaha | idam aṅgirasā proktam upavāsaphalātmakam ||
Yudhiṣṭhira disse: “Por isso, ó Avô, fala-me daquela prática que é fácil de empreender até para os pobres, os não realizados, os solitários e os desamparados, e que, ainda assim, concede frutos iguais aos dos grandes sacrifícios.” Bhīṣma disse: “Isto, diz-se, foi ensinado por Aṅgiras e é da natureza do fruto do jejum.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma seeks a dharmic practice that is universally accessible—especially to those without wealth, status, or support—yet grants merit comparable to elaborate sacrifices; the verse points toward upavāsa (fasting) as such a high-yield, low-resource discipline.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma addresses the revered elder authority (“Pitāmaha”) and asks for guidance on a practice equal in fruit to great yajñas; he introduces that this teaching is attributed to the sage Aṅgiras and concerns the fruits of fasting.