Shloka 3
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
नियमांश्नोपवासां श्व सर्वेषां ब्रूहि पार्थिव । आप्रोति कां गतिं तात उपवासपरायण:
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | Niyamān ca upavāsān ca sarveṣāṃ brūhi pārthiva | Āpnoti kāṃ gatiṃ tāta upavāsa-parāyaṇaḥ ||
Wika ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “O hari, ipaliwanag mo sa akin ang buong saklaw ng mga tuntuning panrelihiyon at mga pag-aayuno. Mahal na ginoo, anong hantungan ang nararating ng taong tapat na nakatuon sa pag-aayuno?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames fasting (upavāsa) and disciplined observances (niyama) as ethically significant practices whose value lies in their intended spiritual outcome—prompting an inquiry into the ‘gati’ (destiny/attainment) that such self-restraint yields.
Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking guidance on dharma, respectfully asks a kingly authority to explain the methods of various observances and fasts, and specifically asks what final state is attained by one devoted to fasting.