Shloka 72
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
पठेद् वा य इदं राजन् शृणुयाद् वाप्यभीक्षणश: । अमांसभक्षणविर्धि पवित्रमृषिपूजितम्
paṭhed vā ya idaṃ rājan śṛṇuyād vāpy abhīkṣṇaśaḥ | amāṃsabhakṣaṇavṛttiṃ pavitram ṛṣipūjitam ||
భీష్ముడు పలికెను—ఓ రాజా! ఋషులచే పూజింపబడిన, పవిత్రమైన ఈ అమాంసభక్షణ (మాంసత్యాగ) విధానాన్ని ఎవడు చదువునో, లేదా పదేపదే వినునో, అతడు సమస్త పాపముల నుండి విముక్తుడగును।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises abstention from eating meat as a purifying, ethically elevated discipline endorsed by sages, and it emphasizes the dharmic power of repeatedly hearing or reciting such teachings to remove sin and cultivate honour and well-being.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he concludes or reinforces a section on giving up meat-eating, stating that anyone who reads or repeatedly hears this sage-approved teaching gains purification, desired benefits, and social esteem among one’s kin.