Shloka 8
उपवासफलात्मकविधिः — Upavāsa as Yajña-Equivalent Merit
Angiras Teaching
भीष्म उवाच इदं खलु मया राजन् श्रुतमासीत् पुरातनम् । उपवासविधीौ श्रेष्ठा गुणा ये भरतर्षभ
bhīṣma uvāca idaṃ khalu mayā rājan śrutam āsīt purātanam | upavāsavidhau śreṣṭhā guṇā ye bharatarṣabha ||
بھیشم نے کہا—اے راجن! یہ واقعی ایک قدیم تعلیم ہے جو میں نے پہلے سنی تھی۔ اے بھرتوں کے سردار! میں روزہ (اُپواس) کی درست رسم کے وہ اعلیٰ اوصاف بیان کرتا ہوں۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames fasting (upavāsa) as a dharmic discipline with specific 'excellent virtues'—a traditional teaching meant to cultivate restraint, purity, and ethical steadiness rather than mere physical deprivation.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction-setting, Bhishma addresses King Yudhishthira and introduces an ancient account he has heard, preparing to explain the proper method and merits of fasting as part of righteous conduct.