Shloka 70
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
मधु मांसं च ये नित्यं वर्जयन्तीह धार्मिका: | जन्मप्रभृति मद्यं च सर्वे ते मुन॒य: स्मृता:
madhu māṁsaṁ ca ye nityaṁ varjayantīha dhārmikāḥ | janmaprabhṛti madyaṁ ca sarve te munayaḥ smṛtāḥ ||
بھیشم نے کہا—جو دیندار لوگ اس دنیا میں ہمیشہ شہد اور گوشت سے پرہیز کرتے ہیں، اور پیدائش ہی سے شراب کو بھی ترک رکھتے ہیں—وہ سب کے سب ‘مُنی’ سمجھے گئے ہیں۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steady abstinence—especially from intoxicants and certain foods—when practiced as a lifelong discipline is presented as a hallmark of dharmic self-restraint, meriting the recognition of a person as a “muni” (sage).
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he is describing ethical and ascetic standards; here he identifies lifelong abstainers from honey, alcohol, and meat as worthy of being counted among sages.