Shloka 9
मांसपरिवर्जन-प्रशंसा (Praise of Abstention from Meat) / Ethics of Ahiṃsā in Diet and Rite
प्रदानानि तु वक्ष्यामि यानि दत्त्वा युधिष्ठिर । नर: कृत्वाप्यकार्याणि ततो धर्मेण युज्यते
pradānāni tu vakṣyāmi yāni dattvā yudhiṣṭhira | naraḥ kṛtvāpy akāryāṇi tato dharmeṇa yujyate ||
«Je vais maintenant décrire, ô Yudhiṣṭhira, ces actes de don : en les accomplissant, un homme, même après avoir fait ce qui ne devait pas être fait, se rattache ensuite de nouveau au dharma.»
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that specific forms of dāna (giving) have a restorative ethical power: even someone burdened by wrongful actions can, by sincere and proper giving, re-align with dharma and resume a righteous course.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, the speaker addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and announces a forthcoming explanation of particular gifts/charitable acts whose performance helps a person recover moral standing after misconduct.