Shloka 54
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
कौमुदे तु विशेषेण शुक्लपक्षे नराधिप । वर्जयेन्मधुमांसानि धर्मों ह्वात्र विधीयते,नरेश्वर! विशेषतः शरदऋतु, शुक्लपक्षमें मद्य और मांसका सर्वथा त्याग कर दे; क्योंकि ऐसा करनेमें धर्म होता है
kaumude tu viśeṣeṇa śuklapakṣe narādhipa | varjayen madhumāṁsāni dharmo hy atra vidhīyate || nareśvara viśeṣataḥ śaradṛtau śuklapakṣe madyaṁ māṁsaṁ ca sarvathā tyajet; evaṁ kartari dharmo bhavati ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja, khususnya pada paruh terang (sukla paksa) di musim luruh, hendaklah engkau menjauhi arak yang memabukkan dan daging sama sekali. Dalam laku ini, dharma diperintahkan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches seasonal and lunar-discipline as a form of dharma: during the autumn season—particularly in the bright fortnight—one should practice restraint by abstaining from intoxicants and meat, because such self-control is explicitly enjoined as righteous conduct.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on dharma. Here he gives a specific practical rule of conduct tied to time (śarad season and śukla pakṣa), recommending complete avoidance of liquor and meat as a meritorious observance.