Shloka 25
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
स्वाहास्वधामृतभुजो देवा: सत्यार्जवप्रिया: । क्रव्यादान् राक्षसान् विद्धि जिह्मानृतपरायणान्
svāhāsvadhāmṛtabhujo devāḥ satyārjavapriyāḥ | kravyādān rākṣasān viddhi jihmānṛtaparāyaṇān ||
Mereka yang menunaikan persembahan svāhā (bagi para dewa) dan svadhā (bagi para leluhur), yang menyantap sisa yajña laksana amerta, serta mencintai kebenaran dan kelurusan—mereka patut dipahami sebagai ‘dewa’ dalam laku. Tetapi mereka yang hidup dari santapan daging, yang berpaut pada kelicikan dan dusta—ketahuilah, mereka ‘rākṣasa’ dalam tabiat.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma defines ‘deva’ and ‘rākṣasa’ primarily as ethical types: devotion to truth, simplicity, and sacrificial discipline aligns one with the deva-nature, while deceit, falsehood, and habitual flesh-eating align one with rākṣasa-nature.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues his didactic discourse, offering a moral classification of beings by conduct—contrasting those who uphold yajña and truthful straightforwardness with those devoted to deception and violent appetite.