Shloka 2
मांसभक्षण-दोषाः तथा अहिंसाया माहात्म्यम् | Faults of Meat-Consumption and the Supremacy of Ahiṃsā
युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--भगवन्! अहिंसा, वेदोक्त कर्म, ध्यान, इन्द्रिय-संयम, तपस्या और गुरु-शुश्रूषा--इनमेंसे कौन-सा कर्म मनुष्यका (विशेष) कल्याण कर सकता है ।।
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—Bhagavan! ahiṃsā, vedokta-karma, dhyāna, indriya-saṃyama, tapasyā ca guru-śuśrūṣā—eteṣāṃ madhye kaḥ karma manuṣyasya (viśeṣataḥ) kalyāṇaṃ kartum arhati? || Bṛhaspatir uvāca—sarvāṇy etāni dharmyāṇi pṛthag-dvārāṇi sarvaśaḥ; śṛṇu saṃkīrtyamānāni ṣaḍ eva, bharatarṣabha. ||
Tinanong ni Yudhiṣṭhira: “Kagalang-galang na ginoo, sa mga ito—ahiṃsā, mga tungkuling iniutos ng Veda, pagninilay, pagpipigil sa mga pandama, pagtitika, at paglilingkod sa guro—alin ang makapagdudulot ng natatanging kapakanan sa tao?” Sumagot si Bṛhaspati: “Lahat ng ito’y matuwid; bawat isa’y isang hiwalay na pintuan tungo sa dharma. Makinig ka habang inilalahad ko ang anim na ito, O pinakamarangal sa angkan ng Bharata.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bṛhaspati teaches that multiple disciplines—non-violence, scriptural duty, meditation, sense-control, austerity, and service to the teacher—are all legitimate and righteous avenues to dharma and human welfare; they are not mutually exclusive but distinct ‘gateways’ leading toward the good.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional setting, Yudhiṣṭhira seeks guidance on which single practice most benefits a person. Bṛhaspati responds by reframing the question: rather than one exclusive best, these six are each dharmic paths, and he is about to enumerate and explain them.