Shloka 32
Śreyas-nirdeśa (Discerning the Superior Good): Nārada–Gālava Saṃvāda
पशुयज्ञै: कथं हिंस्नैमादृशो यछ्टमहति
paśuyajñaiḥ kathaṃ hiṃsnair mādṛśo yaṣṭum arhati
Bhīṣma nói: “Sao một kẻ như ta lại có thể thích hợp làm những tế lễ có hiến sinh loài vật—những nghi thức hàm chứa bạo lực?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds ethical scrutiny of ritual: even if a practice is called a yajña, its हिंसा (violence) raises a dharmic problem. Bhīṣma frames worthiness to perform sacrifice in moral terms, aligning dharma with restraint and non-injury.
In the Śānti Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhīṣma is explaining principles of righteous conduct. Here he questions the propriety of animal-sacrifices, presenting them as हिंस्न (violent) and thus unsuitable for a person seeking dharmic purity.