Shloka 6
मांसपरिवर्जन-प्रशंसा (Praise of Abstention from Meat) / Ethics of Ahiṃsā in Diet and Rite
यदि व्याहरते राजन् विप्राणां धर्मवादिनाम् | ततोअधर्मकृतात् क्षिप्रमपवादात् प्रमुच्यते
yadi vyāharate rājan viprāṇāṃ dharmavādinām | tato 'dharmakṛtāt kṣipram apavādāt pramucyate ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O King, if a sinful man openly declares his wrongdoing before Brahmins who speak on dharma, then he is quickly freed from the blame and reproach that arise from that unrighteous act.”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Confession before qualified dharma-knowing Brahmins reduces the burden of wrongdoing by removing the social and moral reproach (apavāda) that follows adharma; truthful disclosure is presented as a step toward purification and restoration.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the king and states a principle of ethical conduct: when a sinner admits his fault to dharma-expounding Brahmins, he quickly becomes free from the blame generated by that unrighteous act.