Shloka 3
Kṣātra-Dharma, Daṇḍanīti, and Social Order
Indra–Māndhātṛ Dialogue
अप्रत्यक्ष बहुद्वारं धर्ममाश्रमवासिनाम् । प्ररूपयन्ति तद्भावमागमैरेव शाश्वतम्
bhīṣma uvāca | apratyakṣa-bahudvāraṃ dharmam āśramavāsinām | prarūpayanti tadbhāvam āgamair eva śāśvatam ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Die ewige Dharma derer, die in den Ordnungen der āśrama leben, ist nicht unmittelbar sichtbar und hat viele Zugänge. Darum bestimmen und erläutern die Gelehrten ihr wahres Wesen allein durch die maßgeblichen Lehren der Schriften.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma—especially the dharma governing the āśrama-based way of life—is subtle and not fully grasped by direct perception; its reliable determination requires recourse to śāstra/āgama (authoritative tradition).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma explains to his listener that the nature of dharma is complex and indirect, and that wise people clarify it by grounding their conclusions in scriptural authority.