Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 30
अभक्ष्यमेतदिति वै इति हिंसा निवर्तते । खादकार्थमतो हिंसा मृगादीनां प्रवर्तते
abhakṣyam etad iti vai iti hiṁsā nivartate | khādakārtham ato hiṁsā mṛgādīnāṁ pravartate ||
भीष्म ने कहा—जब लोग दृढ़ता से मान लें कि ‘यह अभक्ष्य है’, तब हिंसा निवृत्त हो जाती है। क्योंकि मृग आदि प्राणियों की हिंसा मांस खाने वालों के लिए ही प्रवृत्त होती है।
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.