Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 51
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
सम्यग्दण्डे स्थितिर्धमो धर्मो वेदक्रतुर््रिया: । व्यवहारस्थितिर्धर्म: सत्यवाक्यरतिस्तथा
samyag-daṇḍe sthitir dharmo dharmo veda-kratur-kriyāḥ | vyavahāra-sthitir dharmaḥ satya-vākya-ratis tathā ||
महादेव बोले—“धर्म है—दण्ड का सम्यक् स्थापन (न्यायोचित शासन-व्यवस्था)। धर्म है—वैदिक कर्म और यज्ञक्रियाओं का अनुष्ठान। धर्म है—व्यवहार और न्याय-प्रक्रिया में उचित स्थिति; और सत्यवचन में अनुराग भी।”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is presented as multi-dimensional: (1) the rightful maintenance of authority and punishment (daṇḍa) to uphold order, (2) the performance of Vedic sacrificial and ritual duties, (3) integrity in social and legal dealings (vyavahāra), and (4) a commitment to truthful speech.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Śrīmaheśvara speaks in a didactic mode, defining dharma not as a single act but as a framework that spans governance, ritual obligation, social/judicial conduct, and personal truthfulness.