Shloka 44
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
भक्षयित्वापि यो मांसं पश्चादपि निवर्तते । तस्यापि सुमहान् धर्मो यः पापाद् विनिवर्तते,“जो पहले मांस खानेके बाद फिर उससे निवृत्त हो जाता है, उसको भी अत्यन्त महान् धर्मकी प्राप्ति होती है, क्योंकि वह पापसे निवृत्त हो गया है
bhakṣayitvāpi yo māṁsaṁ paścād api nivartate | tasyāpi sumahān dharmo yaḥ pāpād vinivartate ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Walaupun seseorang pernah memakan daging, jika kemudian dia berpaling daripadanya dan berhenti, dia juga memperoleh pahala yang amat besar—kerana dia telah menarik diri daripada dosa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral progress matters: even if one has previously committed a questionable act (here, eating meat), choosing to desist later is counted as great dharma because it represents a conscious turning away from sin.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he addresses conduct and merit, stating that a person who abandons meat-eating after having practiced it still gains significant religious and ethical merit due to renunciation of wrongdoing.