Shloka 27
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
उद्यतेषु च शस्त्रेषु मृग॒व्यालभयेषु च । अमांसभक्षणे राजन् भयमन्यैर्न गच्छति
udyateṣu ca śastreṣu mṛga-vyāla-bhayeṣu ca | amāṁsa-bhakṣaṇe rājan bhayam anyair na gacchati ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Raja, sekalipun senjata telah diangkat, dan sekalipun di tengah ketakutan yang timbul daripada rusa, binatang buas, serta bahaya-bahaya lain, orang yang tidak memakan daging tidak menjadi sasaran ketakutan daripada orang lain.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma links abstention from meat with moral strength and social-spiritual fearlessness: one who refrains from harming for food is less vulnerable to fear arising from others, even in threatening circumstances.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma advises the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on ethical conduct; here he praises non-meat-eating as a discipline that supports courage and freedom from intimidation.