Shloka 32
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
पशुयज्ञै: कथं हिंस्नैमादृशो यछ्टमहति
paśuyajñaiḥ kathaṃ hiṃsnair mādṛśo yaṣṭum arhati
Bhīṣma said: “How could one like me be fit to perform sacrifices involving animals—rites that entail violence?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical scrutiny of ritual: even if a practice is called a yajña, its हिंसा (violence) raises a dharmic problem. Bhīṣma frames worthiness to perform sacrifice in moral terms, aligning dharma with restraint and non-injury.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhīṣma is explaining principles of righteous conduct. Here he questions the propriety of animal-sacrifices, presenting them as हिंस्न (violent) and thus unsuitable for a person seeking dharmic purity.