Shloka 29
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
यदि चेत् खादको न स्यान्न तदा घातको भवेत् | घातक: खादकार्थाय तद् घातयति वै नरः
yadi cet khādako na syān na tadā ghātako bhavet | ghātakaḥ khādakārthāya tad ghātayati vai naraḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Jika tidak ada seorang pun yang memakan daging, maka tidak akan ada pembunuh. Sebab demi para pemakan daginglah seorang pembunuh membuat makhluk hidup disembelih.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links demand to violence: if people do not desire meat, the social incentive for slaughter disappears. Ethical responsibility is extended beyond the direct killer to the consumer whose appetite sustains killing.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he argues for non-violence by explaining the causal chain behind animal slaughter: the killer acts to supply those who eat flesh.