Shloka 18
वेद: प्रत्यक्षमाचार: प्रमाणं तत्त्रयं यदि । पृथक्त्वं लभ्यते चैषां धर्मश्चैकस्त्रयं कथम्
vedaḥ pratyakṣam ācāraḥ pramāṇaṃ tat trayaṃ yadi | pṛthaktvaṃ labhyate caiṣāṃ dharmaś caikaḥ trayaṃ katham ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “If the Veda, direct perception, and established conduct (the practice of the cultured) are all accepted as valid means of knowing, then each of these is obtained separately. Yet dharma is one. How, then, can these three be taken as dharma (or as equally decisive authorities for dharma)?”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a classic problem in dharma-śāstra: multiple pramāṇas—scripture (Veda), direct experience (pratyakṣa), and the normative conduct of the cultured (ācāra)—are cited as authorities, yet dharma is ultimately one. The question presses for a principle of reconciliation when these sources appear distinct or potentially conflicting.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a philosophical doubt to the teacher: if three different authorities are admitted for knowing dharma, and each is independently accessible, how can they jointly define a single dharma? He seeks clarification on hierarchy, harmony, or interpretive method among these sources.