Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 67
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
हर्यश्वेन च राजेन्द्र क्षुपेण भरतेन च । एतैश्नान्यैश्व राजेन्द्र पुरा मांसं न भक्षितम्
haryaśvena ca rājendra kṣuṣeṇa bharatena ca | etaiś cānyaiś ca rājendra purā māṃsaṃ na bhakṣitam ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “O pinakadakila sa mga hari, noong unang panahon ay hindi kumakain ng karne—sina Haryaśva, Kṣuṣa, Bharata, at ang mga haring ito at iba pang mga pinuno rin.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma appeals to the authority of exemplary ancient kings to commend restraint—specifically abstention from eating meat—as a dharmic standard associated with purity and self-control.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction to the king (Yudhiṣṭhira), he cites named rulers of old—Haryaśva, Kṣuṣa, and Bharata—along with others, stating that they did not eat meat in former times, using their conduct as precedent for ethical guidance.