Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 13
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
ददाति यजते चापि तपस्वी च भवत्यपि । मधुमांसनिवृत्त्येति प्राह चैवं बृहस्पति:
dadāti yajate cāpi tapasvī ca bhavaty api | madhumāṃsa-nivṛttyeti prāha caivaṃ bṛhaspatiḥ ||
ಬೃಹಸ್ಪತಿ ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಮದ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಮಾಂಸವನ್ನು ತ್ಯಜಿಸುವವನು ದಾನ ಮಾಡಿದವನಾಗಿಯೂ, ಯಜ್ಞ ಮಾಡಿದವನಾಗಿಯೂ, ತಪಸ್ಸು ಮಾಡಿದವನಾಗಿಯೂ ಎಣಿಸಲ್ಪಡುತ್ತಾನೆ; ಅಂದರೆ ದಾನ-ಯಜ್ಞ-ತಪಸ್ಸಿನ ಫಲವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Abstaining from alcohol and meat is praised as a powerful ethical discipline that yields the same religious merit as charity (dāna), sacrifice (yajña), and austerity (tapas).
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he cites Brihaspati as an authoritative voice, presenting a concise rule: renunciation of intoxicants and meat is itself a form of high religious practice with great merit.