Shloka 10
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
अदत्तस्यानुपादानं दानमध्ययनं तप: । अहिंसा सत्यमक्रोध इज्या धर्मस्य लक्षणम्
adattasyānupādānaṁ dānam adhyayanaṁ tapaḥ | ahiṁsā satyam akrodha ijyā dharmasya lakṣaṇam ||
Vyāsa said: “Not taking what has not been given, giving in charity, applying oneself to study and austerity, refraining from harming any living being, speaking truth, abandoning anger, and performing sacrificial worship (yajña)—these are the marks by which dharma is recognized.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is identified through concrete disciplines: do not appropriate what is not given, practice generosity, cultivate learning and austerity, uphold non-violence and truth, restrain anger, and maintain reverent sacrificial worship. Together these form a practical ethical profile of righteous living.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Vyāsa enumerates defining characteristics (lakṣaṇas) of dharma, presenting a concise list of virtues and practices meant to guide conduct after the devastation of war.