Shloka 11
Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः
धारणाद् धर्ममित्याहुर्धमेण विधृता: प्रजा: । यः स्याद् धारणसंयुक्त: स धर्म इति निश्चय:
dhāraṇād dharmam ity āhur dharmeṇa vidhṛtāḥ prajāḥ | yaḥ syād dhāraṇa-saṁyuktaḥ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «On l’appelle dharma parce qu’il soutient. Par le dharma, le peuple est maintenu et tenu ensemble. Ainsi, tout ce qui possède la puissance de soutenir, de préserver et de protéger la vie—cela seul est dharma ; telle est la conclusion établie de ceux qui connaissent le dharma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is defined by its function: it ‘upholds’—protecting life, sustaining society, and maintaining order. Whatever genuinely supports and preserves beings is dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct after the war, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira by giving a foundational definition of dharma as the sustaining principle of society and life.