Shloka 11
मांसपरिवर्जन-प्रशंसा (Praise of Abstention from Meat) / Ethics of Ahiṃsā in Diet and Rite
प्राणा हुन्न॑ मनुष्याणां तस्माज्जन्तुश्व॒ जायते । अन्ने प्रतिेष्ठितो लोकस्तस्मादन्न॑ प्रशस्थते
prāṇā hy annam manuṣyāṇāṁ tasmāj jantuś ca jāyate | anne pratiṣṭhito lokas tasmād annaṁ praśasyate ||
«El alimento es, en verdad, el aliento vital de los hombres; de él nacen los seres. El mundo se halla asentado sobre el alimento; por eso el alimento es justamente alabado como lo más digno.»
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Food is presented as the foundation of life and society: it sustains prāṇa, enables birth and continuity of beings, and undergirds the stability of the world; therefore, honoring food and ensuring its provision (especially through feeding and charity) is an ethical duty.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a principle that supports teachings on dāna and righteous conduct: since all beings depend on food, praising and protecting food—and by extension supporting those who provide and distribute it—aligns with dharma.