Shloka 76
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
एतत्ते कथितं राजन् मांसस्य परिवर्जने । प्रवृत्ती च निवृत्ती च विधानमृषिनिर्मितम्
etatte kathitaṃ rājan māṃsasya parivarjane | pravṛttī ca nivṛttī ca vidhānam ṛṣinirmitam ||
اے راجن! میں نے تمہیں گوشت سے پرہیز کا یہ بیان سنا دیا، اور پرَوِرتّی اور نِوِرتّی—دونوں کے اصولوں کو منظم کرنے والا وہ ضابطہ بھی سمجھا دیا جو رشیوں نے مرتب کیا ہے۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma summarizes that the dharmic rationale for abstaining from meat has been explained, along with the broader framework of pravṛtti (engaged life) and nivṛtti (withdrawal/renunciation). The point is that ethical restraint is grounded in an authoritative, sage-formulated code rather than personal preference.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs the king (Yudhishthira) on dharma while lying on the bed of arrows. Here he concludes a segment on avoiding meat and situates it within the larger rishi-sanctioned system that distinguishes duties of active worldly life and duties of renunciatory withdrawal.