Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
भीष्म उवाच मांसस्याभक्षणाद् राजन् यो धर्म: कुरुनन्दन । तन्मे शूणु यथातत्त्वं यथास्य विधिरुत्तम:
bhīṣma uvāca māṁsasyābhakṣaṇād rājan yo dharmaḥ kurunandana | tan me śṛṇu yathātattvaṁ yathāsya vidhir uttamaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Raja, wahai kebanggaan Kuru, dengarkan dariku dengan sebenar-benarnya dharma yang berupa pantang daging, beserta aturan mulia untuk menegakkannya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma introduces the dharma of abstaining from meat and promises to explain both its true rationale and the proper, authoritative method of observing it.
In the Anushasana Parva’s didactic setting, Bhishma addresses the king (Yudhishthira) and begins a formal instruction on the ethical and scriptural principles connected with refraining from meat.