Shloka 15
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
भवन्तः स्वार्थलोभेन केवलं भक्षणे रता: । अनुबन्धे त्रयो दोषास्तान् न पश्यन्ति मोहिता:
bhavantaḥ svārthalobhena kevalaṁ bhakṣaṇe ratāḥ | anubandhe trayo doṣās tān na paśyanti mohitāḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच—भवन्तः स्वार्थलोभेन केवलं भक्षणे रताः। अनुबन्धे त्रयो दोषास्तान् न पश्यन्ति मोहिताः॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma criticizes meat-eating motivated by selfish greed, warning that it carries inevitable moral and practical harms (“three faults”) that people overlook due to delusion; the verse urges ethical reflection, restraint, and awareness of consequences.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhīṣma addresses his listeners directly, rebuking their attachment to flesh-eating and stating that their infatuation prevents them from recognizing the harmful consequences that follow from it.