Shloka 26
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
बह्दाश्रयो बहुमुखो धर्मो हृदि समाश्रित: । स ब्रह्म परमो धर्मस्तपश्च॒ सदसच्च स:
bahudāśrayo bahumukho dharmo hṛdi samāśritaḥ | sa brahma paramo dharmas tapaś ca sadasac ca saḥ ||
قال بهيشما: «إنّ الدَّرما تقوم على دعائم كثيرة وتتكلّم بأصوات شتّى. غير أنّ الدَّرما الساكنة في القلب ليست سوى “ذلك” بعينه. “ذلك” هو براهْمان؛ “ذلك” هو الدَّرما الأسمى المتحقِّق كمعرفة مباشرة للذات (آتمن). و“ذلك” هو أيضًا التَّبَس (الزهد/التقشّف)، وهو صورة الحقيقيّ وغير الحقيقيّ معًا.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma appears diverse—varying by social role, stage of life, and circumstance—but its deepest ground is the inner realization of Brahman. The highest dharma is Self-knowledge, from which disciplined living (tapas) and the understanding of reality and appearance (sat/asat) are properly oriented.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous living after the war, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira that dharma cannot be reduced to a single external rule. He points beyond the many outward expressions of duty to the heart-centered and metaphysical source: Brahman, the ultimate principle that underlies all ethical and spiritual life.