Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 14
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
मासि मास्यश्वमेधेन यो यजेत शतं समा: । न खादति च यो मांसं सममेतन्मतं मम,जो सौ वर्षोतक प्रतिमास अश्वमेध यज्ञ करता है और जो कभी मांस नहीं खाता है-- इन दोनोंका समान फल माना गया है
māsi māsy aśvamedhena yo yajeta śataṁ samāḥ | na khādati ca yo māṁsaṁ samam etan mataṁ mama ||
ພີດສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: “ຕາມຄວາມເຫັນຂອງຂ້າ ບຸນຜົນຂອງສອງຢ່າງນີ້ເທົ່າກັນ: (1) ຜູ້ທີ່ປະກອບພິທີອັດສະວະເມດະ (Aśvamedha) ທຸກເດືອນ ຕະຫຼອດຮ້ອຍປີ, ແລະ (2) ຜູ້ທີ່ບໍ່ເຄີຍກິນເນື້ອເລີຍ.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma equates the spiritual merit of extreme ritual grandeur (repeated Aśvamedhas over a century) with the ethical discipline of lifelong abstention from meat, highlighting that restraint and non-violence can match the highest sacrificial merit.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instructions, Bhishma is advising on righteous conduct and the fruits of actions; here he compares two paths—royal Vedic sacrifice and personal dietary renunciation—and declares their results equal.