Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 53
Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
यस्तु देवि यथान्यायं दीक्षितो नियतो द्विज: । आत्मन्यात्मानमाधाय निर्ममों धर्मलालस:
yastu devi yathānyāyaṃ dīkṣito niyato dvijaḥ | ātmany ātmānam ādhāya nirmamo dharmalālasaḥ ||
श्री महेश्वर बोले—परन्तु, हे देवी, जो द्विज विधिपूर्वक दीक्षित हुआ हो, जो नियमयुक्त और संयमी हो, जिसने मन को आत्मा में स्थापित कर लिया हो, और जो ममता-रहित हो—वह धर्म का अभिलाषी होता है।
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
True pursuit of dharma requires disciplined initiation and inner restraint: one should fix the mind in the Self, abandon possessiveness (‘mine-ness’), and cultivate a sincere longing for righteous conduct rather than for personal gain.
Maheshvara addresses the Goddess and describes the qualities of an ideal twice-born practitioner—properly initiated, regulated in behavior, inwardly centered, and non-possessive—framing such a person as genuinely devoted to dharma.