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 ।। ब॒हस्पतिर्वाच सर्वाण्येतानि धर्म्याणि पृथग्द्वाराणि सर्वशः । शृणु संकीर्त्यमानानि षडेव भरतर्षभ
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. ||
بِرہسپتی نے کہا—اے بھرت شریشٹھ! یہ سب کے سب دھارمک ہیں؛ ہر ایک دھرم کا جداگانہ دروازہ ہے۔ اے بھرت وِرشبھ، اِن چھ باتوں کو بیان کیے جاتے ہوئے سنو۔
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.