Shloka 7
मांसपरिवर्जन-प्रशंसा (Praise of Abstention from Meat) / Ethics of Ahiṃsā in Diet and Rite
यथा यथा नर: सम्यगधर्ममनुभाषते । समाहितेन मनसा विमुच्येत तथा तथा । भुजंग इव निर्मोकात् पूर्वमुक्ताज्जरान्वितात्
yathā yathā naraḥ samyag dharmam anubhāṣate | samāhitena manasā vimucyeta tathā tathā | bhujaṅga iva nirmokāt pūrvamuktāj jarānvitāt ||
युधिष्ठिर बोले—मनुष्य समाहित मन से जैसे-जैसे धर्म का यथार्थ कथन करता है, वैसे-वैसे वह मुक्त होता जाता है; ठीक वैसे ही जैसे सर्प पहले उतारी हुई, जरा-जीर्ण केंचुल से छूट जाता है।
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Rightly expressing dharma with a composed mind brings progressive inner release—shedding moral and psychological burdens the way a snake sheds an old skin.
Yudhiṣṭhira states a reflective principle: disciplined, truthful articulation of dharma (often implying honest acknowledgement and moral clarity) itself becomes a means of purification and freedom, illustrated by the image of a serpent leaving behind its worn-out slough.