Mokshadharma Parva — Is fasting a penance

Yudhisthira said The three twice-born classes, who perform sacrifices and other rites, some times eat the remnants, consisting of meat and wine, of sacrifices in honour of the gods, from motives of obtaining children and heaven. What, O grandfather, is the nature of this act?

Bhishma said Those who eat forbidden food without performing the sacrifices and vows ordained in the Vedas are known as wilful men. Those, on the other hand, who eat such food in the observance of Vedic sacrifices and vows and actuated by the desire of fruits in the shape of heaven and children, ascend to heaven but drop down on the termination of their merits.

Yudhishthira said Common people say that fasting is penance. Is fasting, however, really so, or is penance somethings different?

Bhishma said People really consider fast, measured by months or fortnights or days, as penance. The good, however, hold that such is not penance. On the other hand, fast is an obstacle to the acquirement of the knowledge of the Soul.

The renunciation of acts and humility form the highest penance. It is superior to all kinds of penance. He who performs such penance is considered as one who is always fasting and who is always leading a life of Brahmacharrya.

Such a Brahman will become a Muni always, a deity, and sleepless forever, and one engaged in the pursuit of virtue only, even if he lives in a family.

He will become a vegetarian always, and pure for ever. He will become an eater always of ambrosia, and an worshipper always of gods and guests.

Indeed, he will be considered as one always living on sacrificial residue, as one ever devoted to the duty of hospitality, as one always full of faith, and as one always adoring gods and guests.

Yudhishthira said one ever How can one practising such penance come to be known as one who is always fasting or as who follows the VOW of Brahmacharya, or as one who always lives upon sacrificial residue, or as one who always worships guests.

Bhishma said He will be considered as one who is always fasting if he eats once during the day and once during the night at the fixed hours without eating anything in the interim.

Such a Brahman, by always speaking the truth and by following always wisdom, and by going to his wife only in her season and never at other times, becomes a Brahmacharin.

By never cating meat of animals not killed for sacrifice, he will become a strict vegetarian. By always becoming charitable he will become ever pure, and by abstaining from sleep during De day he will become one who is always awake.

Know, O Yudhisthira, that the man who eats only after having fed his servants and guests becomes an eater always of ambrosia.

The Brahmana who never eats till gods and guests are fed, acquires by such abstention, heaven itself.

He is said to live upon sacrificial residue who eats only what remains after feeding the gods, the Pitris, servants and guests.

Such men acquires numberless blessed regions in next life. The gods and the Apsaras with Brahman himself, come to their homes.

They who share their food with the gods and the Pitris pass their days always happily with their sons and grandsons, and at last, leaving off this body, acquire a very high end.