Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 15

उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit

Angiras Teaching

Devanagari script

क्षमावान्‌ रूपसम्पन्न: श्रुतवांश्वैव जायते | नानपत्यो भवेत्‌ प्राज्ञों दरिद्रो वा कदाचन

Transliteration

Aṅgirā uvāca: kṣamāvān rūpasampannaḥ śrutavāṁś caiva jāyate | nānapatyo bhavet prājño daridro vā kadācana, bhārata | yadi manuṣyaḥ pañcamī-ṣaṣṭhī-pūrṇimāsu dineṣu mana indriyāṇi ca vaśe kṛtvā ekavelaṁ bhuñjānaḥ dvitīyavelāyām upavased, sa kṣamāvān rūpavān vidvān bhavati | sa prājñaḥ puruṣaḥ kadācit na apatyahīno bhavati na ca daridraḥ ||

Translation

Wika ni Aṅgirā: “Ang tao’y nagiging mapagpatawad, may kagandahan, at may karunungan. O Bhārata, ang marunong ay hindi kailanman mawawalan ng supling, ni hindi rin kailanman magiging dukha. Kung sa ikalimang araw, ikaanim na araw, at sa araw ng kabilugan ng buwan ay pipigilin niya ang isip at mga pandama at kakain lamang nang minsan—mag-aayuno sa isa pang oras—siya’y magiging matiisin, guwapo, at may kaalaman. Ang maingat na taong iyon ay hindi mahuhulog sa kawalan ng anak o sa kahirapan.”

Word by Word

• {'kṣamāvān': 'forbearing, patient, forgiving', 'rūpasampannaḥ': 'endowed with beauty/attractive form', 'śrutavān': 'learned

• one who has heard/absorbed sacred learning', 'jāyate': 'is born

• becomes', 'prājñaḥ': 'wise, discerning', 'nānapatyaḥ': 'not without offspring

• not childless', 'daridraḥ': 'poor, destitute', 'kadācana': 'ever, at any time', 'bhārata': 'O descendant of Bharata (address to the listener)', 'pañcamī': 'the 5th lunar day (tithi)', 'ṣaṣṭhī': 'the 6th lunar day (tithi)', 'pūrṇimā': 'full-moon day', 'manaḥ': 'mind', 'indriyāṇi': 'senses', 'vaśe kṛtvā': 'having brought under control', 'ekavelaṁ': 'once (in a day)

• at one mealtime', 'upavased': 'should fast

Speaker

अंगियरा उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Aṅgirā
• Bhārata

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Regular, disciplined fasting on specific lunar days—paired with restraint of mind and senses—is presented as a dharmic practice that cultivates inner virtues (forbearance) and outward/social goods (good form, learning), and is said to protect a wise person from misfortunes like childlessness and poverty.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, the sage Aṅgirā addresses “Bhārata” and recommends a concrete vrata: on pañcamī, ṣaṣṭhī, and pūrṇimā one should eat only once and fast the other time, promising ethical and worldly fruits from this self-restraint.