Shloka 23
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
सर्वमांसानि यो राजन् यावज्जीवं न भक्षयेत् । स्वर्गे स विपुल स्थान प्राप्त॒ुयान्नात्र संशय:
sarvamāṁsāni yo rājan yāvajjīvaṁ na bhakṣayet | svarge sa vipulaṁ sthānaṁ prāpnuyān nātra saṁśayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Wahai Raja, siapa pun yang sepanjang hidupnya tidak memakan daging makhluk mana pun, akan meraih kedudukan yang mulia dan luas di surga—tanpa keraguan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Lifelong abstention from eating the flesh of living beings is presented as a dharmic restraint that yields great spiritual merit, culminating in an exalted heavenly attainment.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction to King Yudhiṣṭhira in the Anuśāsana Parva, he states a specific ethical rule—avoiding meat throughout life—and links it to the fruit of attaining a vast and superior place in heaven.