Shloka 15
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
भवन्तः स्वार्थलोभेन केवलं भक्षणे रता: । अनुबन्धे त्रयो दोषास्तान् न पश्यन्ति मोहिता:
bhavantaḥ svārthalobhena kevalaṁ bhakṣaṇe ratāḥ | anubandhe trayo doṣās tān na paśyanti mohitāḥ ||
भीष्म बोले—तुम लोग स्वार्थ के लोभ से प्रेरित होकर केवल मांसभक्षण में ही रमे रहते हो। उसके अनिवार्य परिणामस्वरूप जो तीन दोष उत्पन्न होते हैं, मोहवश तुम उन्हें नहीं देखते।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma criticizes meat-eating motivated by selfish greed, warning that it carries inevitable moral and practical harms (“three faults”) that people overlook due to delusion; the verse urges ethical reflection, restraint, and awareness of consequences.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma addresses his listeners directly, rebuking their attachment to flesh-eating and stating that their infatuation prevents them from recognizing the harmful consequences that follow from it.