Shloka 5
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
संस्मृत्य पूर्व भूतिं च निर्वेदं परमं गत: । न भक्षयति मांसानि परैरुपहृतान्यपि,उस समय अपने पूर्व जन्मके वैभवका स्मरण करके उस सियारको बड़ा खेद और वैराग्य हुआ। अतः वह दूसरोंके द्वारा दिये हुए मांसको भी नहीं खाता था
saṁsmṛtya pūrva-bhūtiṁ ca nirvedaṁ paramaṁ gataḥ | na bhakṣayati māṁsāni parair upahṛtāny api ||
Bhishma said: Remembering his former prosperity, the jackal was seized by the highest dispassion and remorse. Therefore he would not eat meat, even when it was brought and offered by others.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
True ethical change begins with inner awakening: remembering the impermanence of past prosperity can produce nirveda (deep disenchantment), leading to restraint and refusal to participate—directly or indirectly—in harmful indulgence.
In Bhishma’s discourse, a jackal recalls his former state of prosperity; this memory triggers profound remorse and detachment, and as a result he stops eating meat even when others bring it to him.