Shloka 13
Vyāghra–Gomāyu Saṃvāda (व्याघ्रगोमायु संवाद) — Testing Character Beneath Appearances
श्मशाने यदि मे वास: समाधियमें निशम्यताम् | आत्मा फलति कर्माणि नाश्रमो धर्मकारणम्,“यदि मेरा निवास श्मशानभूमिमें है तो इसके लिये मैं जो समाधान देता हूँ, उसको सुनो। आत्मा ही शुभ कर्मोंके लिये प्रेरणा करता है। कोई आश्रम ही धर्मका कारण नहीं हुआ करता
śmaśāne yadi me vāsaḥ samādhir iyaṁ niśamyatām | ātmā phalati karmāṇi nāśramo dharmakāraṇam ||
«Aunque mi morada estuviera en un crematorio, escuchad esta resolución. Es el yo interior el que hace fructificar las acciones y empuja hacia el bien; un ‘āśrama’, una condición externa, no es por sí sola la causa del dharma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is grounded in the inner self—one’s intention, conscience, and moral agency. External status such as belonging to a particular āśrama does not automatically make one righteous; actions bear fruit through the self that chooses and sustains them.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on dharma and right conduct. Here he addresses a potential objection based on outward circumstances (even something as socially stigmatized as living near a cremation-ground) and asserts that true righteousness depends on inner disposition and ethical action, not merely on one’s formal life-stage or social-religious label.