Shloka 70
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
राजसूयसहस्रस्य फल प्राप्नोत्यनुत्तमम् । यानमारोहते दिव्यं हंसबर्हिणसेवितम्
rājasūya-sahasrasya phalaṁ prāpnoty anuttamam | yānam ārohate divyaṁ haṁsa-barhiṇa-sevitam || yo jitendriyaḥ puruṣo dvādaśa māsān prati pañcadaśe dine ekavāraṁ bhuṅkte ca pratidinam agnihotraṁ juhoti, sa rājasūya-sahasrasya śreṣṭhaṁ phalaṁ prāpnoti haṁsa-barhibhiḥ sevitam divya-vimānam āruhya ||
Disse Bhīṣma: O homem autocontrolado que, por doze meses, come apenas uma vez a cada quinze dias e realiza o Agnihotra diariamente, alcança o mérito insuperável, igual ao de mil sacrifícios Rājasūya. Tendo obtido esse fruto supremo, ele ascende a um carro aéreo divino, assistido por cisnes e pavões.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained self-restraint (sense-control and regulated eating) combined with faithful daily Agnihotra is presented as a dharmic discipline whose merit can equal the highest public royal sacrifices; inner discipline and regular duty can rival external grandeur.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he describes the spiritual reward for a specific year-long vow: eating only once every fifteen days while performing Agnihotra daily, culminating in the attainment of supreme merit and ascent to a celestial vehicle attended by swans and peacocks.