Shloka 11
Dvaipāyana–Kīṭa Saṃvāda: Karmic Memory, Fear of Death, and Embodied Pleasure
पुत्रमांसोपमं जानन् खादते यो<विचक्षण: । मांसं मोहसमायुक्त: पुरुष: सो5धम: स्मृत:
putramāṃsopamaṃ jānan khādate yo ’vicakṣaṇaḥ | māṃsaṃ mohasamāyuktaḥ puruṣaḥ so ’dhamaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Mengetahui bahawa daging itu seumpama daging anaknya sendiri, namun masih memakannya—itulah orang yang tidak berakal budi. Sesiapa yang, dikuasai khayal dan kejahilan, memakan daging, dikenang sebagai hina dan tercela.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns meat-eating as a product of moha (delusion) and lack of discernment, urging compassion by equating meat with the unimaginable act of eating one’s own child’s flesh.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues his ethical counsel, characterizing the meat-eater—despite knowing the moral implication—as ‘adhama’ (base), thereby reinforcing a norm of non-violence and purity of conduct.