Shloka 30
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
अभक्ष्यमेतदिति वै इति हिंसा निवर्तते । खादकार्थमतो हिंसा मृगादीनां प्रवर्तते
abhakṣyam etad iti vai iti hiṁsā nivartate | khādakārtham ato hiṁsā mṛgādīnāṁ pravartate ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Lorsque les hommes reconnaissent avec fermeté : “Ceci n’est pas propre à être mangé”, la violence prend fin. Car l’abattage des cerfs et des autres animaux ne se poursuit que pour ceux qui mangent de la chair. Si la chair est tenue pour impropre à l’alimentation et délaissée, le massacre des créatures cesse de lui-même.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma links demand to harm: if meat is regarded as ‘abhakṣya’ (not fit to eat) and people stop consuming it, the motive for killing animals disappears, and violence naturally declines.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instructions, Bhīṣma is advising on ethical conduct; here he argues that animal killing occurs primarily to satisfy meat-eaters, so renunciation of meat functions as a practical means to reduce hiṁsā.