Shloka 39

Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda

Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni

Devanagari script

खरीदनेवाला धनके द्वारा, खानेवाला उपभोगके द्वारा और घातक वध एवं बन्धनके द्वारा पशुओंकी हिंसा करता है। इस प्रकार यह तीन तरहसे प्राणियोंका वध होता है ।। अखादन्ननुमोदंश्व॒ भावदोषेण मानव: । यो<नुमोदति हन्यन्तं सोडपि दोषेण लिप्यते,“जो मांसको स्वयं नहीं खाता पर खानेवालेका अनुमोदन करता है, वह मनुष्य भी भावदोषके कारण मांसभक्षणके पापका भागी होता है। इसी प्रकार जो मारनेवालेका अनुमोदन करता है, वह भी हिंसाके दोषसे लिप्त होता है

Transliteration

akḥādann anumodaṁś ca bhāva-doṣeṇa mānavaḥ | yo 'numodati hanyantaṁ so 'pi doṣeṇa lipyate ||

Translation

جو خود گوشت نہیں کھاتا مگر گوشت کھانے والے کی تائید کرتا ہے، وہ نیت کے عیب کے سبب گناہ میں لتھڑ جاتا ہے۔ اسی طرح جو قتل کرنے والے کو سراہتا یا منظور کرتا ہے، وہ بھی ظلم و تشدد کے عیب سے آلودہ ہوتا ہے۔

Word by Word

अखादन्does not eat

अनुमोदन्approves, consents

चand

भावदोषेणby the fault of intention/mental disposition

मानवःa man, human

यःwho

अनुमोदतिapproves

हन्यन्तम्one who is killing / the killer (being in the act of killing)

सःhe

अपिalso, even

दोषेणby fault, by sin

लिप्यतेis tainted, is smeared (with sin)

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Moral culpability is not limited to the person who performs violence or eats meat; approving, consenting to, or encouraging such acts also creates ethical taint (doṣa), because intention and endorsement (anumodana) bind one to the act’s karma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he emphasizes the ethics of non-violence and the breadth of responsibility: even indirect participation—through approval—implicates a person in the wrongdoing.