Shloka 4
Puṣkara-Śapatha Itihāsa (Agastya–Indra Dispute at the Tīrthas) | पुष्कर-शपथ-आख्यानम्
भीष्म उवाच मासार्धमासोपवासाद् यत् तपो मन्यते जन: । आत्मतन्त्रोपघाती यो न तपस्वी न धर्मवित्
bhīṣma uvāca māsa-ardha-māsa-upavāsād yat tapo manyate janaḥ | ātma-tantro-paghātī yo na tapasvī na dharma-vit ||
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，世人若以为苦行只是禁食半月或一月，不过是徒然折磨自身之躯。如此任性而自毁者，既非真正的苦行者，亦非通达法（dharma）之人。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that austerity is not simply prolonged fasting; without right understanding and disciplined purpose, such fasting becomes self-harm and does not make one a true ascetic or a knower of dharma.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs King Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he critiques the popular notion that a fortnight- or month-long fast by itself constitutes tapas, emphasizing ethical discernment over mere bodily mortification.