Shloka 6
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
भीष्मजीने कहा--राजन्! कुरुनन्दन! मांस न खानेसे जो धर्म होता है, उसका मुझसे यथार्थ वर्णन सुनो तथा उस धर्मकी जो उत्तम विधि है, वह भी जान लो ।।
Bhīṣma uvāca—Rājan! Kurunandana! māṁsaṁ na khādanena yo dharmo bhavati, tasya me yathārthaṁ varṇanaṁ śṛṇu, tathā ca tasya dharmasya yā uttamā vidhir api tāṁ jānīhi. Rūpam avyāṅgatām āyur buddhiṁ sattvaṁ balaṁ smṛtim prāptukāmair naraḥ hiṁsā varjitā vai mahātmabhiḥ.
Bhishma disse: “Ó rei, deleite dos Kurus! Ouve de mim o relato verdadeiro do dharma que nasce da abstinência de carne, e aprende também o melhor modo de praticar esse dharma. Aqueles que desejam beleza, um corpo sem defeito, longa vida, inteligência, firmeza interior, força e memória segura devem renunciar à violência; de fato, os magnânimos evitam ferir os seres vivos.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that abstaining from meat is grounded in ahiṁsā (non-violence), and that those seeking both bodily well-being (beauty, health, longevity) and mental excellence (intelligence, steadiness, memory) should avoid harming living beings; this restraint is upheld by the noble.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma addresses the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) and begins an ethical exposition: he frames meat-abstinence as a dharma, promises to explain its proper practice, and links it to the broader principle of renouncing violence.