Shloka 10
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
सायं प्रातर्मनुष्याणामशन वेदनिर्मितम् । नान्तरा भोजन दृष्टमुपवासी तथा भवेत्
sāyaṃ prātar manuṣyāṇām aśanaṃ vedanirmitam | nāntarā bhojanaṃ dṛṣṭam upavāsī tathā bhavet ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Para os seres humanos, o Veda ordenou comer apenas em dois momentos—ao entardecer e pela manhã. Não se vê regra que permita comer entre eles. Quem observa essa disciplina é tido como upavāsin, obtendo o mérito associado ao jejum.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches restraint in food: eating only at the two prescribed times (morning and evening) is a dharmic discipline, and avoiding meals in between is treated as equivalent in merit to fasting.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct; here he lays down a rule of regulated eating grounded in Vedic authority, linking daily discipline with the spiritual fruit of upavāsa.