Shloka 27
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
उद्यतेषु च शस्त्रेषु मृग॒व्यालभयेषु च । अमांसभक्षणे राजन् भयमन्यैर्न गच्छति
udyateṣu ca śastreṣu mṛga-vyāla-bhayeṣu ca | amāṁsa-bhakṣaṇe rājan bhayam anyair na gacchati ||
Bhishma said: “O King, even when weapons are raised, and even amid fears caused by deer, wild beasts, and other dangers, the one who does not eat flesh does not become subject to fear from others.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma links abstention from meat with moral strength and social-spiritual fearlessness: one who refrains from harming for food is less vulnerable to fear arising from others, even in threatening circumstances.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma advises the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on ethical conduct; here he praises non-meat-eating as a discipline that supports courage and freedom from intimidation.