Shloka 11
अध्याय १३२ — कर्मणा मनसा वाचा: स्वर्गमार्गः तथा आयुर्विपाकः
Adhyāya 132 — The path to heaven through deed, mind, and speech; karmic results for lifespan
अपि क्रतुशतैरिष्टवा क्षयं गच्छति तद्धवि: । नतु क्षीयन्ति ते धर्मा: श्रद्दधानै: प्रयोजिता:
api kratuśatair iṣṭvā kṣayaṃ gacchati taddhaviḥ | na tu kṣīyanti te dharmāḥ śraddadhānaiḥ prayojitāḥ ||
Selbst wenn jemand Hunderte von Opferriten vollzogen hat, schwindet die Frucht jener Darbringungen (havis) schließlich und erschöpft sich. Doch die Dharmas, die mit Glauben (śraddhā) geübt werden—jene Disziplinen rechten Handelns—schwinden nicht; von den Gläubigen aufgenommen, bleiben sie dauerhaft und unfehlbar in ihrer sittlichen Kraft.
गार्ग्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ritual merit (the fruit of sacrifices and offerings) is finite and can be exhausted, whereas dharma—ethical disciplines and right conduct—when practiced with sincere faith (śraddhā) is enduring and does not diminish.
Gārgya is delivering an instructive statement within the Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, contrasting the perishable results of repeated sacrificial rites with the lasting value of faithfully practiced dharmas.