Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 16
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
सर्वे वेदा न तत् कुर्यु: सर्वे यज्ञाश्न भारत | यो भक्षयित्वा मांसानि पश्चादपि निवर्तते
sarve vedā na tat kuryuḥ sarve yajñāś ca bhārata | yo bhakṣayitvā māṃsāni paścād api nivartate ||
Bhīṣma said: O Bhārata, neither all the Vedas nor all the sacrifices can confer that same merit which is gained by one who, having eaten meat before, later turns back from it and renounces it completely.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical transformation is paramount: a person who genuinely renounces meat after previously consuming it gains a merit so great that it is said to surpass what could be obtained through the cumulative performance of Vedic study and sacrificial rituals. Conduct and restraint are valued above mere ritual quantity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and right conduct. Here he highlights the spiritual significance of turning away from harmful habits—especially violence implied in meat consumption—presenting renunciation as a powerful act of moral return.