Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 45
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
Devanagari script
आहर्ता चानुमन्ता च विशस्ता क्रयविक्रयी । संस्कर्ता चोपभोक्ता च खादका: सर्व एव ते
Transliteration
āhartā cānumantā ca viśastā krayavikrayī | saṃskartā copabhoktā ca khādakāḥ sarva eva te ||
Translation
毗湿摩说道：“为屠宰而牵来牲畜者，许可者，行杀者，以及买卖者；同样，烹制者与食用者——这一切都应视为‘食者’（参与此业者）。就伦理而言，每个人都分担因夺取生命以为食而生的罪过。”
Word by Word
आहर्ताthe bringer (of the animal for slaughter)
आहर्ता:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootआहर्तृ (आ-हृ धातु से कर्तृ-प्रत्यय)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
अनुमन्ताthe permitter/approver
अनुमन्ता:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअनुमन्तृ (अनु-√मन् धातु से कर्तृ-प्रत्यय)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
विशस्ताthe killer/slaughterer
विशस्ता:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootविशस्तृ (√शस्/शंस् धातु से; यहाँ ‘वधकर्ता/हिंसक’ अर्थ में प्रचलित)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
क्रयविक्रयीthe buyer-and-seller (dealer)
क्रयविक्रयी:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootक्रय-विक्रयिन् (क्रय + विक्रय; -इन् प्रत्यय)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
संस्कर्ताthe preparer/cooker
संस्कर्ता:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootसंस्कर्तृ (सम्-√कृ धातु से कर्तृ-प्रत्यय)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
उपभोक्ताthe consumer/enjoyer
उपभोक्ता:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootउपभोक्तृ (उप-√भुज् धातु से कर्तृ-प्रत्यय)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
खादकाःeaters
खादकाः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootखादक (√खाद् धातु से -क प्रत्यय)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
सर्वेall
सर्वे:
TypeAdjective
Rootसर्व
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
एवindeed/only
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
तेthey
ते:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
Moral responsibility for violence is collective: procuring, permitting, killing, trading, cooking, and eating are all treated as participation in the same harmful act, so the ethical and karmic burden is shared.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he explains the ethical chain behind animal slaughter for food, identifying every role in the process as complicit, not only the person who performs the killing.