Shloka 18
अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa
मासोपवासी मूलाशी फलाहारस्तथैव च । वायुभक्षो<म्बुपिण्याकदधिगोमय भोजन:
māsopavāsī mūlāśī phalāhāras tathaiva ca | vāyubhakṣo 'mbupiṇyākadadhigomaya-bhojanaḥ ||
婆悉吒说道：“他行极严苦行——有时连续一月绝食；有时以根茎块薯为食，或唯以果实自持。有时仅以空气与清水维生；而有时甚至以芝麻饼渣、凝乳，乃至牛粪为食。”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity and variety of ascetic disciplines (tapas) as a means of cultivating self-mastery and detachment—showing endurance, restraint in diet, and willingness to accept extreme simplicity for a higher ethical-spiritual aim.
Vasiṣṭha is describing an ascetic’s regimen, listing different modes of subsistence—month-long fasting, living on roots or fruits, surviving on air and water, or taking very austere foods like sesame-cake, curd, or cow-dung—to illustrate the person’s rigorous practice.