Shloka 27
Adhyāya 270 — Yudhiṣṭhira’s inquiry on saṃnyāsa; Bhīṣma on calculable time, tamas, and karma
Vṛtra–Uśanā exemplum begins
मणिभद्र उवाच सदा धर्मफलं राज्यं सुखानि विविधानि च । फलान्येवायमश्नातु कायक्लेशविवर्जित:
Maṇibhadra uvāca: sadā dharma-phalaṁ rājyaṁ sukhāni vividhāni ca | phalāny evāyam aśnātu kāya-kleśa-vivarjitaḥ ||
Maṇibhadra sprach: „Die Frucht des Dharma ist immer Herrschaft und mannigfaltiges Glück. Darum soll dieser Brāhmaṇa, frei von leiblicher Mühsal, allein jene Früchte genießen.“
मणिभद्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maṇibhadra frames dharma as yielding tangible rewards—sovereignty and diverse happiness—and advises that one who has earned such merit should enjoy its results without self-inflicted bodily suffering.
In the Śānti Parva’s didactic setting, Maṇibhadra speaks to recommend that a brāhmaṇa (the person under discussion) should partake of the rightful fruits of his dharmic conduct, rather than embracing physical austerity or hardship.