Shloka 29
Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
सर्ववेदेषु वा स्नान सर्वभूतेषु चार्जवम् । उभे एते समे स्यातामार्जवं वा विशिष्यते
sarvavedeṣu vā snānaṁ sarvabhūteṣu cārjavam | ubhe ete same syātām ārjavaṁ vā viśiṣyate ||
Mahādeva dit : «Qu’on accomplisse le bain purificatoire prescrit dans tous les Veda, ou qu’on pratique la droiture envers tous les êtres vivants, ces deux voies peuvent être tenues pour égales ; pourtant, la droiture (l’intégrité) est plus haute.»
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Moral integrity (ārjava)—being honest and straightforward with all beings—is at least equal to, and ultimately superior to, external ritual purification such as Vedic bathing. Inner virtue is presented as the highest form of purity.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Mahādeva speaks as a teacher of dharma, contrasting ritual observance (Vedic purificatory bathing) with ethical conduct (straightforwardness toward all beings), and declaring ethical integrity to be the greater excellence.