Mahabharata · Chapter 12.271
śarīramāpadaścaiva na vidantyavihiṃsakāḥ /
kathaṃ yātrā śarīrasya nirārambhasya setsyate //
bhīṣma uvāca /
yathā śarīraṃ na mlāyennaiva mṛtyuvaśaṃ bhavet / tathā karmasu varteta samartho dharmamācaret //
atrāpyudāharantīmamitihāsaṃ purātanam /
prajānāmanukampārthaṃ gītaṃ rājñā vicakhyunā //
chinnasthūṇaṃ vṛpaṃ dṛṣṭvā virāvaṃ ca gavāṃ bhṛśam /
gogṛhe yajñavāṭe ca prekṣamāṇaḥ sa pārthivaḥ //
svasti gobhyo'stu lokeṣu tato nirvacanaṃ kṛtam /
hiṃsāyāṃ hi pravṛttāyāmāśīreṣā tu kalpitā //
avyavasthitamaryādairvimūḍhairnāstikairnaraiḥ /
saṃśayātmabhiravyaktairhiṃsā samanudarśitā //
sarvakarmagvahiṃsāṃ hi dharmātmā manurabravīt /
kāmakārādvihiṃsanti bahirvedyāṃ paśūnnarāḥ //
tasmātpramāṇataḥ kāryo dharmaḥ sūkṣmo vijānatā /
ahiṃsā hyeva sarvebhyo dharmebhyo jyāyasī matā //
upoṣya saṃśito bhūtvā hitvā vedakṛtāṃ śuciḥ /
ācāra ityanācāraḥ kṛpaṇāḥ phalahetavaḥ //
yadi cchindanti vṛkṣāṃśca yūpāṃścoddiśya mānavāḥ /
vṛthā māṃsāni khādanti naipa dharmaḥ praśasyate //
surāṃ matsyānmadhu māṃsamāsavaṃ kṛsaraudanam / dhūrtaiḥ pravartitaṃ hyetannaitadvedeṣu kalpitam /
kāmānmohācca lobhācca laulyametatpravartitam //
viṣṇumevābhijānanti sarvayajñeṣu brāhmaṇāḥ /
pāyasaiḥ sumanobhiśca tasyaiva yajanaṃ smṛtam //
yajñiyāścaiva ye vṛkṣā vedeṣu parikalpitāḥ / yaccāpi kiñcitkartavyamanyaccokṣaiḥ susaṃskṛtam /
mahāsatvaiḥ śuddhabhāvaiḥ sarvaṃ devārhameva tat //
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca /
śarīramāpadaścāpi vivadantyavihaṃsataḥ /
kathaṃ yātrā śarīrasya nirārambhasya setsyate //
bhīṣma uvāca /
yathā śarīraṃ na glāyenneyānmṛtyuvaśaṃ yathā /
tathā karmasu varteta samartho dharmamācaret //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0