Shloka 236
मानसतीर्थ-शौचप्रशंसा | Praise of the ‘Mental Tīrtha’ and the Marks of Purity
अनसूयुरपापस्थो द्वादशाहफलं लभेत् । जो बारह महीनोंतक प्रतिदिन अग्निहोत्र करता हुआ हर पाँचवें दिन एक समय भोजन करता है और लोभहीन
an asūyur apāpastho dvādaśāha-phalaṁ labhet |
毗湿摩说：若人离于嫉妒，安住于无罪清净之行，便能获得“十二日祭”（Dvādaśāha）的功德。此教诲强调：持久的日常自律——如恒常行火供（Agnihotra）、节制饮食，以及以真实、不害（阿希姆萨）、敬奉婆罗门、无贪、且不苛求他人过失为根本的品格——能以德行而非徒具仪式之炫示，成就祭祀之果。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That inner purity and steady ethical discipline—especially freedom from envy and steadfast avoidance of sin—can confer the same spiritual merit as an elaborate twelve-day Vedic sacrifice.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he explains to the listener that certain sustained vows and virtues (linked with daily ritual discipline like Agnihotra and moral restraints) are equivalent in fruit to the Dvādaśāha sacrifice.