Shloka 6
मांसपरिवर्जन-प्रशंसा (Praise of Abstention from Meat) / Ethics of Ahiṃsā in Diet and Rite
यदि व्याहरते राजन् विप्राणां धर्मवादिनाम् | ततोअधर्मकृतात् क्षिप्रमपवादात् प्रमुच्यते
yadi vyāharate rājan viprāṇāṃ dharmavādinām | tato 'dharmakṛtāt kṣipram apavādāt pramucyate ||
युधिष्ठिर बोले—राजन्! यदि पापी पुरुष धर्म-वक्ता ब्राह्मणों के सामने अपना पाप कह दे, तो वह उस अधर्मकृत कर्म से उत्पन्न निंदा-अपवाद से शीघ्र मुक्त हो जाता है।
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Confession before qualified dharma-knowing Brahmins reduces the burden of wrongdoing by removing the social and moral reproach (apavāda) that follows adharma; truthful disclosure is presented as a step toward purification and restoration.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses the king and states a principle of ethical conduct: when a sinner admits his fault to dharma-expounding Brahmins, he quickly becomes free from the blame generated by that unrighteous act.