Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
विमुक्त: सर्वपापेभ्य: सर्वकामैर्महीयते । विशिष्टतां ज्ञातिषु च लभते नात्र संशय:
bhīṣma uvāca | vimuktaḥ sarvapāpebhyaḥ sarvakāmair mahīyate | viśiṣṭatāṃ jñātiṣu ca labhate nātra saṃśayaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Freed from all sins, a man is honored with the fulfillment of every desired enjoyment; and among his own kinsmen he attains a distinguished standing—of this, O king, there is no doubt.” (This is stated as the fruit of studying or repeatedly hearing the sacred, rishi-approved discourse on renouncing meat-eating.)
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma teaches that engaging with (reading or repeatedly hearing) the rishi-sanctioned teaching on renouncing meat-eating yields moral purification (freedom from sin), worldly honor through fulfilled desires, and elevated social standing among one’s kin—presented as a confident, doubt-free result.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he concludes a section on the merit of abandoning meat-eating by stating the promised benefits (phalaśruti) for those who study or listen to this discourse.