Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, 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 ||
अन्न ही मनुष्यों का प्राण है; अन्न से ही प्राणी उत्पन्न होता है। संसार अन्न पर ही प्रतिष्ठित है; इसलिए अन्न की प्रशंसा की जाती है।
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.