दारुवनलीला—नीललोहितपरीक्षा, ब्रह्मोपदेशः, अतिथिधर्मः, संन्यासक्रमः
भुङ्क्ष्व चैनां यथाकामं गमिष्ये ऽहं द्विजोत्तम हृष्टो ऽथ दर्शयामास स्वात्मानं धर्मराट् स्वयम्
bhuṅkṣva caināṃ yathākāmaṃ gamiṣye 'haṃ dvijottama hṛṣṭo 'tha darśayāmāsa svātmānaṃ dharmarāṭ svayam
«Jouis d’elle selon ton désir, ô meilleur des deux-fois-nés ; moi, je m’en vais.» Ayant ainsi parlé, Dharmarāja, dans la joie, révéla de lui-même sa forme véritable.
Suta Goswami (narrating an internal episode involving Dharmarāja and a brāhmaṇa)
It frames Dharma as a divine regulator of conduct: without dhārmic restraint, desire becomes pasha (bondage), whereas Dharma supports the purity required for Shiva-puja and inner steadiness in approaching Pati (Śiva).
Indirectly, it shows a Shaiva principle: divine governance can manifest and withdraw at will. Such self-revelation (svātmā-prakāśa) echoes Pati’s sovereignty—Śiva’s freedom to unveil truth for the uplift of the pashu (individual soul).
The takeaway is ethical discipline (dharma) as a prerequisite for sādhanā: controlling kāma and acting rightly are foundational supports for Pashupata-oriented purification leading toward Shiva-realization.