Shloka 21
मांसपरिवर्जन-प्रशंसा (Praise of Abstention from Meat) / Ethics of Ahiṃsā in Diet and Rite
औरसेन बलेनान्नमर्जयित्वाविहिंसक: । यः प्रयच्छति विप्रेभ्यो न स दुर्गाणि पश्यति,जो किसी प्राणीकी हिंसा न करके अपनी छातीके बलसे पैदा किया हुआ अन्न विप्रोंको दान करता है, वह कभी संकटका अनुभव नहीं करता
aurasena balenānnam arjayitvā vihiṁsakaḥ | yaḥ prayacchati viprebhyo na sa durgāṇi paśyati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dijo: «Quien, sin dañar a ningún ser viviente, gana su alimento con la fuerza de su propio cuerpo y luego lo da en caridad a los brāhmanes, ese no llega a contemplar calamidades ni aflicción».
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links three virtues—non-violence (ahiṃsā), honest self-earned livelihood, and charitable giving to worthy recipients (vipras)—and teaches that such integrated dharmic conduct protects one from falling into severe distress.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Yudhiṣṭhira articulates a moral principle about household life: food earned through one’s own effort without harming beings, when shared as charity with brāhmaṇas, becomes a source of security and well-being rather than hardship.