Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 24
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
न हि मांसं तृणात् काष्ठादुपलाद् वापि जायते । हत्वा जन्तुं ततो मांसं तस्माद् दोषस्तु भक्षणे
na hi māṁsaṁ tṛṇāt kāṣṭhād upalād vāpi jāyate | hatvā jantuṁ tato māṁsaṁ tasmād doṣas tu bhakṣaṇe ||
Bhīṣma said: “Meat does not arise from grass, from wood, or even from stones. It is obtained only after killing a living creature; therefore, there is indeed moral fault in eating it.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Meat is inseparable from violence because it is obtained only by killing a living being; therefore, consuming it carries ethical fault (doṣa) and stands opposed to the ideal of ahiṁsā.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction, Bhīṣma is teaching principles of righteous conduct; here he argues against meat-eating by pointing out its causal link to the killing of creatures.