Shloka 11
Dvaipāyana–Kīṭa Saṃvāda: Karmic Memory, Fear of Death, and Embodied Pleasure
पुत्रमांसोपमं जानन् खादते यो<विचक्षण: । मांसं मोहसमायुक्त: पुरुष: सो5धम: स्मृत:
putramāṃsopamaṃ jānan khādate yo ’vicakṣaṇaḥ | māṃsaṃ mohasamāyuktaḥ puruṣaḥ so ’dhamaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Wer weiß, dass Fleisch dem Fleisch des eigenen Sohnes gleicht, und es dennoch isst, der ist ohne Einsicht. Wer, von Verblendung und Unwissen umfangen, Fleisch verzehrt, gilt als niedrig und tadelnswert.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns meat-eating as a product of moha (delusion) and lack of discernment, urging compassion by equating meat with the unimaginable act of eating one’s own child’s flesh.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues his ethical counsel, characterizing the meat-eater—despite knowing the moral implication—as ‘adhama’ (base), thereby reinforcing a norm of non-violence and purity of conduct.