Shloka 79
तीर्थवंशोपदेशः
Tīrtha-vaṃśa Upadeśa: Instruction on the Fruits of Sacred Waters
अप्राप्तदमकाश्रैव नासानां वेधकाश्ष ये । बन्धकाश्व पशूनां ये ते वै निरयगामिन:,जो काबूमें न आनेवाले पशुओंका दमन करते, नाथते अथवा कटपरेमें बंद करते हैं, वे नरकगामी होते हैं
aprāptadamakaś caiva nāsānāṃ vedhakaś ca yaḥ | bandhakaś ca paśūnāṃ yaḥ sa vai nirayagāmī ||
Bhishma said: One who forcibly subdues animals that cannot be properly tamed, who pierces or wounds their noses to control them, or who keeps them bound and confined—such a person is said to be destined for hell. The teaching underscores that cruelty and coercive restraint toward helpless creatures violate dharma and bring grave moral consequence.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cruel control of animals—especially by painful methods like piercing the nose or by harsh confinement—violates dharma and leads to severe karmic demerit, described here as a hell-bound destiny.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he lists actions that constitute wrongdoing; this verse condemns specific forms of animal cruelty and declares their grave consequence.