Shloka 23
Brāhmaṇa-pūjā, Haviḥ-dāna, and the Vāsudeva–Pṛthivī Saṃvāda
Chapter 34
अब्भक्षा वायुभक्षाश्न सुधाभक्षाश्न ये सदा । व्रतैश्न विविधैर्युक्तास्तान्ू नमस्यामि माधव
abbhakṣā vāyubhakṣāś ca sudhābhakṣāś ca ye sadā | vrataiś ca vividhair yuktās tān namasyāmi mādhava ||
Nārada disse: “Ó Mādhava, eu me prostro aos pés daqueles ascetas que, firmes em muitos tipos de votos, sustentam-se apenas de água ou de ar; e também daqueles que sempre comem somente o que resta após o sacrifício. Sua disciplina rigorosa e sua reverência pelo dever sagrado encarnam a mais alta forma de autocontrole e pureza.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse honors rigorous self-discipline: those who keep diverse vows and live with extreme restraint—subsisting on minimal sustenance or only sanctified remnants—are worthy of reverence, because their conduct exemplifies purity, control of desire, and commitment to dharma.
Nārada addresses Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa), offering homage to exemplary vow-keepers and ascetics. The statement functions as praise of tapas and sacred observance within the Anuśāsana Parva’s broader instruction on righteous conduct.