Shloka 19
कुण्डधारोपाख्यानम्
Kuṇḍadhāra-Upākhyāna: Dharma’s Superiority over Wealth and Desire
श्रद्धां कुरु महाप्राज्ञ ततः प्राप्स्यसि यत् परम् | श्रद्धावान् श्रद्धानश्चव धर्मश्वैव हि जाजले । स्ववर्त्मनि स्थितश्चैव गरीयानेव जाजले
śraddhāṃ kuru mahāprajña tataḥ prāpsyasi yat param | śraddhāvān śraddadhānaś ca dharmaś caiva hi jājale | svavartmani sthitaś caiva garīyān eva jājale ||
Bhīṣma said: “O great-minded one, place your trust (śraddhā) in this; then, by acting accordingly, you will attain the highest goal. For, O Jājale, the person who is endowed with faith and who practices with sincere conviction is, in truth, a living embodiment of Dharma. And, O Jājale, the one who remains steadfast on one’s own rightful path with faith is regarded as the most excellent.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Faith (śraddhā) is not merely belief but a force that grounds ethical practice; one who acts with sincere conviction and remains steady on one’s rightful path becomes, in effect, an embodiment of Dharma and reaches the highest good.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction within the Śānti Parva, he addresses the sage Jājale/Jājali, urging him to cultivate faith and to live accordingly, praising steadfast adherence to one’s own dharmic path as the mark of true excellence.