Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, 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 ||
毗湿摩说道：“大王，我已如此向你阐明戒绝肉食之义——并连同支配‘入世之行’与‘出离之行’（pravṛtti 与 nivṛtti）的原则；此乃诸仙圣（ṛṣi）所制定的行为法则。在此教诲中，克制并非仅是禁令，而是立基于古老仙圣所立之法度的正法修持。”
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.