Shloka 32
Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
एक एव चरेद् धर्म नास्ति धर्मे सहायता । केवलं विधिमासाद्य सहाय: कि करिष्यति,केवल वेदविधिका सहारा लेकर अकेले ही धर्मका आचरण करना चाहिये। उसमें सहायताकी आवश्यकता नहीं है। कोई दूसरा सहायक आकर क्या करेगा
eka eva cared dharmaṁ nāsti dharme sahāyatā | kevalaṁ vidhim āsādya sahāyaḥ ki kariṣyati ||
Bhishma said: One should practice dharma on one’s own; in dharma there is no dependence on helpers. Having only the rule and right method as one’s support, what can any external assistant really accomplish? The moral force of righteousness rests on personal resolve and faithful adherence to the prescribed way, not on borrowed backing.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is fundamentally personal: right conduct depends on one’s own commitment to the proper rule (vidhi), not on external support. Helpers cannot substitute for inner resolve and correct adherence to the prescribed path.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, Bhishma continues advising the listener on ethical conduct, emphasizing that dharma is to be pursued independently, with śāstric method as the true support rather than reliance on other people.