13.093
the distinctions of vows
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
O grandsire, how is it that the twice-born, endowed with vows, eat sacrificial food for the sake of a Brāhmaṇa's desire? (13-93-1)
Bhīṣma said.
O Yudhishthira, those who perform actions and enjoy without following vows prescribed in the Veda are just doers of acts; but even those who enjoy as prescribed in the Veda, having lost their vow, are not true observers of it. (13-93-2)
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
Ordinary people say that this fasting is 'austerity'; this may be austerity, but is there indeed any other austerity as well? (13-93-3)
Bhishma said.
If a person considers as penance the act of not eating for a month or a month and a half, that self-willed destroyer is neither an ascetic nor a knower of dharma. (13-93-4)
The attainment of renunciation is preserved; the highest austerity is to always observe fasting, and one should likewise be a brahmacārī (celibate student). (13-93-5)
A sage should always be so; a Brāhmaṇa should always worship the gods indeed. The householder who desires righteousness should always sleep, O Bhārata. (13-93-6)
He should always partake of pure (immortal) food, should always remain pure, should always speak the truth, and should always be self-controlled. (13-93-7)
He should always eat leftovers, always and indeed be fond of guests; he should always abstain from meat and always remain pure. (13-93-8)
Yudhishthira said.
O king, how can one always observing fasts be at the same time a celibate student, how can one be an eater of leavings, and how can one also be hospitable? (13-93-9)
Bhishma said;
One who does not eat anything between the morning meal and the evening meal is always called one who fasts. (13-93-10)
A man who goes to his wife becomes like a celibate, always a speaker of truth, always inclined to giving. (13-93-11)
One who abstains from eating meat in vain is indeed a non-meat-eater. One who gives charity may become purified; one who does not sleep during the day is not a day sleeper. (13-93-12)
Know, O Yudhishthira, that the man who always eats only after his servants and guests have eaten, eats nectar alone. (13-93-13)
He who does not eat among Brāhmaṇas who have not eaten—with this abstention, for him, heaven is indeed won. (13-93-14)
He who eats the food remaining after what is given to the gods, ancestors, servants, and guests together—they call him a consumer of remnants. (13-93-15)
These worlds are regarded as endless in the abode of Brahman, O lord of people, and are attended by Apsarases and Gandharvas. (13-93-16)
They enjoy together with gods, guests, and ancestors, and delight as well with their sons and grandsons. Their abode is unsurpassed. (13-93-17)
