Shloka 7
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
स्वमांसं परमांसेन यो वर्धयितुमिच्छति । नास्ति क्षुद्रतरस्तस्मात् स नृशंसतरो नर:,जो दूसरेके मांससे अपना मांस बढ़ाना चाहता है, उससे बढ़कर नीच और निर्दयी मनुष्य दूसरा कोई नहीं है
svamāṁsaṁ paramāṁsena yo vardhayitum icchati | nāsti kṣudrataras tasmāt sa nṛśaṁsataro naraḥ ||
Bhishma said: “He who wishes to increase his own flesh by means of another’s flesh—there is no man more petty than he, and none more cruel.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Any attempt to nourish oneself—materially or bodily—by consuming or harming others is both petty (kṣudra) and cruel (nṛśaṁsa). Dharma rejects prosperity built on another’s suffering.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira on dharma and right conduct. Here he delivers a sharp ethical judgment against exploitative behavior, using the vivid image of ‘fattening oneself on another’s flesh’ to condemn ruthless self-interest.