Shloka 16
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
तृतीये दिवसे यस्तु प्राश्नीयादेकभोजनम् | सदा द्वादशमासांस्तु जुह्दानो जातवेदसम्
tṛtīye divase yas tu prāśnīyād ekabhojanam | sadā dvādaśamāsāṁs tu juhvāno jātavedasam ||
Бхишма сказал: «Тот, кто каждый третий день вкушает лишь одну трапезу и в течение двенадцати месяцев непрестанно возливает приношения в священный огонь (Агни), достигает наивысшего, превосходнейшего плода жертвоприношения Атиратра».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustained self-restraint in food (eating only once every third day) combined with steady fire-offerings for a full year is presented as a powerful dharmic discipline, yielding merit comparable to the eminent Atirātra sacrifice.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma and religious observances, he describes a specific austerity-and-sacrifice regimen and states the spiritual reward it confers—namely, the highest fruit associated with the Atirātra rite.