Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 41
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
हिरण्यदानैगोंदानैर्भूमिदानैश्न सर्वश: । मांसस्याभक्षणे धर्मो विशिष्ट इति न: श्रुति:
hiraṇyadānai gōdānai bhūmidānaiś ca sarvaśaḥ | māṁsasyābhakṣaṇe dharmo viśiṣṭa iti naḥ śrutiḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “By gifts of gold, gifts of cows, and gifts of land—by all such acts of charity—one certainly gains merit; yet we have heard from sacred tradition that the dharma of refraining from eating meat is even more distinguished than those gifts.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that while major charities like donating gold, cows, and land are highly meritorious, the ethical discipline of not eating meat is regarded by tradition as an even higher form of dharma—because it aligns conduct with non-harm and restraint.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira by ranking virtues: he acknowledges celebrated gifts (dāna) but elevates abstention from meat as a superior ethical practice, citing received sacred teaching (śruti).