Shloka 76
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
एतत्ते कथितं राजन् मांसस्य परिवर्जने । प्रवृत्ती च निवृत्ती च विधानमृषिनिर्मितम्
etatte kathitaṃ rājan māṃsasya parivarjane | pravṛttī ca nivṛttī ca vidhānam ṛṣinirmitam ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Raja, demikianlah telah aku jelaskan kepadamu tentang menjauhi daging—beserta prinsip yang mengatur kedua-duanya, pravṛtti dan nivṛtti (keterlibatan dan penarikan diri), yakni suatu tata-laku yang dirumuskan oleh para resi. Dalam ajaran ini, pengendalian diri bukan sekadar larangan, melainkan disiplin dharma yang berakar pada ketetapan purba buatan para ṛṣi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma summarizes that the dharmic rationale for abstaining from meat has been explained, along with the broader framework of pravṛtti (engaged life) and nivṛtti (withdrawal/renunciation). The point is that ethical restraint is grounded in an authoritative, sage-formulated code rather than personal preference.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs the king (Yudhishthira) on dharma while lying on the bed of arrows. Here he concludes a segment on avoiding meat and situates it within the larger rishi-sanctioned system that distinguishes duties of active worldly life and duties of renunciatory withdrawal.