Shloka 44
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
भक्षयित्वापि यो मांसं पश्चादपि निवर्तते । तस्यापि सुमहान् धर्मो यः पापाद् विनिवर्तते
bhakṣayitvāpi yo māṁsaṁ paścād api nivartate | tasyāpi sumahān dharmo yaḥ pāpād vinivartate ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Selbst wenn jemand Fleisch gegessen hat, erlangt er doch sehr großes Verdienst, wenn er sich später davon abwendet; denn er hat sich von der Sünde zurückgezogen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral progress matters: even if one has previously committed a questionable act (here, eating meat), choosing to desist later is counted as great dharma because it represents a conscious turning away from sin.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he addresses conduct and merit, stating that a person who abandons meat-eating after having practiced it still gains significant religious and ethical merit due to renunciation of wrongdoing.