What Fasting and Austerity Truly Are

Verse 1 (12.226.1)

द्विजातयो व्रतोपेता यदिदं भुञ्जते हविः । अन्नं ब्राह्मणकामाय कथमेतत्पितामह ॥

dvijātayo vratopetā yadidaṃ bhuñjate haviḥ | annaṃ brāhmaṇakāmāya kathametatpitāmaha

Grandfather, how is it that the twice-born, bound by their vows, eat the offering, the food meant to please the brahmins?

Verse 2 (12.226.2)

अवेदोक्तव्रतोपेता भुञ्जानाः कार्यकारिणः । वेदोक्तेषु च भुञ्जाना व्रतलुब्धा युधिष्ठिर ॥

avedoktavratopetā bhuñjānāḥ kāryakāriṇaḥ | vedokteṣu ca bhuñjānā vratalubdhā yudhiṣṭhira

Those who eat while keeping vows the Veda does not prescribe do as they please; and those who eat under Vedic vows, Yudhishthira, are greedy for the vow.

Verse 3 (12.226.3)

यदिदं तप इत्याहुरुपवासं पृथग्जनाः । एतत्तपो महाराज उताहो किं तपो भवेत् ॥

yadidaṃ tapa ityāhurupavāsaṃ pṛthagjanāḥ | etattapo mahārāja utāho kiṃ tapo bhavet

What ordinary people call austerity is fasting. Is that austerity, great king, or can austerity be something else?

Verse 4 (12.226.4)

मासपक्षोपवासेन मन्यन्ते यत्तपो जनाः । आत्मतन्त्रोपघातस्तु न तपस्तत्सतां मतम् ॥

māsapakṣopavāsena manyante yattapo janāḥ | ātmatantropaghātastu na tapastatsatāṃ matam

What people regard as austerity is fasting for a month or a fortnight; but harming one's own self-knowledge is not austerity in the view of the good.

Note on the text: Corrected आत्मतन्त्रोघातस्तु → आत्मतन्त्रोपघातस्तु (misprint in Wikisource; the syllable प of उपघात has dropped out, and the metre needs it; CE 12.214.4c reads ātmatantropaghātaḥ). Lines 1-2 = CE 12.214.4a, 4c (CE has सः for तु).

Verse 5 (12.226.5)

त्यागश्च सन्नतिश्चैव शिष्यते तप उत्तमम् । सदोपवासी स भवेद्ब्रह्मचारी सदा भवेत् ॥

tyāgaśca sannatiścaiva śiṣyate tapa uttamam | sadopavāsī sa bhavedbrahmacārī sadā bhavet

Renunciation and humility remain as the highest austerity. A man should be always fasting and always a celibate student.

Note on the text: Wikisource divides the CE's verses differently: line 1 = CE 12.214.4e; line 2 is a variant of CE 12.214.5a (sadopavāsī ca bhaved brahmacārī sadaiva ca).

Verse 6 (12.226.6)

मुनिश्च स्यात्सदा विप्रो दैवतं च सदा भवेत् । कुटुम्बिको धर्मपरः सदाऽस्वप्नश्च भारत ॥

muniśca syātsadā vipro daivataṃ ca sadā bhavet | kuṭumbiko dharmaparaḥ sadā'svapnaśca bhārata

He should always be a sage and a brahmin, and always godly; a householder devoted to dharma, ever sleepless, O Bharata.

Note on the text: Line 1 is a variant of CE 12.214.5c (CE: daivataṃ ca sadā bhajet); line 2 is a variant of CE 12.214.6a (CE: dharmakāmaḥ for धर्मपरः). Recension variants, kept as printed.

Verse 7 (12.226.7)

अमांसादी सदा च स्यात्पवित्री च सदा भवेत् । अमृताशी सदा च स्यान्न च स्याद्विषभोजनः ॥

amāṃsādī sadā ca syātpavitrī ca sadā bhavet | amṛtāśī sadā ca syānna ca syādviṣabhojanaḥ

He should never eat meat and should always be pure; he should always eat nectar and never eat poison.

Note on the text: Line 1 is a variant of CE 12.214.6c (CE: amāṃsāśī sadā ca syāt pavitraṃ ca sadā japet); line 2 = CE 12.214.7a.

Verse 8 (12.226.8)

विघसाशी सदा च स्यात्सदा चैवातिथिप्रियः । श्रद्दधानः सदा च स्याद्देवताद्विजपूजकः ॥

vighasāśī sadā ca syātsadā caivātithipriyaḥ | śraddadhānaḥ sadā ca syāddevatādvijapūjakaḥ

He should always eat what remains after the offerings and always love guests; he should always be full of faith and a worshipper of the gods and the twice-born.

Note on the text: Corrected विधसाशी → विघसाशी (misprint in Wikisource; the word is विघसाशी, as in verse 9 and CE 12.214.7c). Removed the wiki brackets [ ] around line 2, which mark it as a variant-reading line (not a correction). Line 1 = CE 12.214.7c; line 2 = CE star passage 12.214.7d*0631_01 (śraddadhānaḥ sadā ca syād daivatadvijapūjakaḥ; Wikisource has देवताद्विज° for CE daivatadvija°).

Verse 9 (12.226.9)

कथं सदोपवासी स्याद्ब्रह्मचारी कथं भवेत् । विघसाशी कथं च स्यात्सदा चैवातिथिप्रियः ॥

kathaṃ sadopavāsī syādbrahmacārī kathaṃ bhavet | vighasāśī kathaṃ ca syātsadā caivātithipriyaḥ

How can one be always fasting, how a celibate student, how an eater of what remains, and how always a lover of guests?

Verse 10 (12.226.10)

अन्तरा प्रातराशं च सायमाशं तथैव च । सदोपवासी स भवेद्यो न भुङ्क्तेऽन्तरा पुनः ॥

antarā prātarāśaṃ ca sāyamāśaṃ tathaiva ca | sadopavāsī sa bhavedyo na bhuṅkte'ntarā punaḥ

Whoever does not eat again between the morning meal and the evening meal is always fasting.

Note on the text: Line 2 is a variant of CE 12.214.9c (CE: bhaved yo na bhuṅkte kathaṃ cana). Recension variant, kept as printed.

Verse 11 (12.226.11)

भार्यां गच्छन्ब्रह्मचारी ऋतौ भवति ब्राह्मणः । ऋतवादी भवेन्नित्यं ज्ञाननित्यश्च यो नरः ॥

bhāryāṃ gacchanbrahmacārī ṛtau bhavati brāhmaṇaḥ | ṛtavādī bhavennityaṃ jñānanityaśca yo naraḥ

A brahmin who goes to his wife only in her season is a celibate; and the man who speaks the truth and is ever devoted to knowledge is such as well.

Note on the text: Line 2 is a variant of CE 12.214.10c (CE: ṛtavādī sadā ca syāj jñānanityaś ca yo naraḥ).

Verse 12 (12.226.12)

न भक्षयेद्वृथा मांसममांसाशी भवत्यपि । दाननित्यः पवित्रीस्यादस्वप्नश्च दिवाऽस्वपन् ॥

na bhakṣayedvṛthā māṃsamamāṃsāśī bhavatyapi | dānanityaḥ pavitrīsyādasvapnaśca divā'svapan

One who does not eat meat needlessly is a non-eater of meat; one constant in giving is a purifier; and one who does not sleep by day is sleepless.

Note on the text: Lines are a variant of CE 12.214.11a, 11c (CE: abhakṣayan vṛthāmāṃsam …; dānanityaḥ pavitraś ca asvapnaś ca divāsvapan).

Verse 13 (12.226.13)

भृत्यातिथिषु यो भुङ्क्ते भुक्तवत्सु सदा नरः । अमृतं केवलं भुङ्क्ते इति विद्धि युधिष्ठिर ॥

bhṛtyātithiṣu yo bhuṅkte bhuktavatsu sadā naraḥ | amṛtaṃ kevalaṃ bhuṅkte iti viddhi yudhiṣṭhira

Know this, Yudhishthira: the man who always eats only after his dependants and his guests have eaten eats nothing but nectar.

Note on the text: Lines are a variant of CE 12.214.12a, 12c (CE: …bhuktavatsu sadā sa ha / amṛtaṃ sakalaṃ bhuṅkta …).

Verse 14 (12.226.14)

अभुक्तवत्सु भुञ्जानो विषमश्नाति वै द्विजः । अदत्त्वा योऽतिथिभ्योऽन्नं न भुङ्क्ते सोऽतिथिप्रियः । अभुक्त्वा दैवतेभ्यश्च यो न भुङ्क्ते सदैवतम् ॥

abhuktavatsu bhuñjāno viṣamaśnāti vai dvijaḥ | adattvā yo'tithibhyo'nnaṃ na bhuṅkte so'tithipriyaḥ | abhuktvā daivatebhyaśca yo na bhuṅkte sadaivatam

A twice-born who eats while others have not yet eaten swallows poison. He who does not eat without having given food to his guests is the lover of guests; and he who does not eat without having first honoured the gods is one who has the gods with him.

Note on the text: Corrected सोतिथिप्रियः → सोऽतिथिप्रियः (missing avagraha in Wikisource; CE so 'tithipriyaḥ). Line 1 is a variant of CE 12.214.13a (CE: abhuktavatsu nāśnānaḥ satataṃ yas tu vai dvijaḥ; the Wikisource footnote gives that as another manuscript reading). Lines 2-3 = CE star passage 12.214.13b*0632_01-02 (adattvā yo 'tithibhyo 'nnaṃ na bhuṅkte so 'tithipriyaḥ / adattvānnaṃ daivatebhyo yo na bhuṅkte sa daivatam; Wikisource has अभुक्त्वा for CE adattvānnaṃ in line 3). The CE continues with 13c (abhojanena tenāsya jitaḥ svargo bhavaty uta), which this recension lacks.

Verse 15 (12.226.15)

देवताभ्यः पितृभ्यश्च भृत्येभ्योऽतिथिभिः सह । अवशिष्टं तु योऽश्नाति तमाहुर्विघसाशिनम् ॥

devatābhyaḥ pitṛbhyaśca bhṛtyebhyo'tithibhiḥ saha | avaśiṣṭaṃ tu yo'śnāti tamāhurvighasāśinam

He who eats only what is left over after the gods, the ancestors, his dependants and his guests have been served is called an eater of what remains.

Verse 16 (12.226.16)

तेषां लोका ह्यपर्यन्ताः सदने ब्रह्मणा सह । उपस्थिताश्चाप्सरोभिः परियान्ति दिवौकसः ॥

teṣāṃ lokā hyaparyantāḥ sadane brahmaṇā saha | upasthitāścāpsarobhiḥ pariyānti divaukasaḥ

Theirs are boundless worlds in the abode of Brahma; apsarases wait upon them, and the dwellers of heaven move about them.

Verse 17 (12.226.17)

देवताभिश्च ये सार्धं पितृभ्यश्चोपभुञ्जते । रमन्ते पुत्रपौत्रैश्च तेषां गतिरनुत्तमा ॥

devatābhiśca ye sārdhaṃ pitṛbhyaścopabhuñjate | ramante putrapautraiśca teṣāṃ gatiranuttamā

Those who eat together with the gods and the ancestors delight with their sons and grandsons, and theirs is the highest goal.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment; the verse is CE 12.214.16a, 16c (devatābhiś ca ye sārdhaṃ pitṛbhiś copabhuñjate / ramante putrapautraiś ca teṣāṃ gatir anuttamā). In the CE, Appendix I No. 20 follows this verse.