Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
सर्वभूतानुकम्पी यः सर्वभूतार्जवव्रत: । सर्वभूतात्मभूतश्न स वै धर्मेण युज्यते
sarvabhūtānukampī yaḥ sarvabhūtārjavavrataḥ | sarvabhūtātma-bhūtaś ca sa vai dharmeṇa yujyate ||
Maheshvara bersabda: “Ia yang berbelas kasih kepada semua makhluk, yang berkaul untuk bersikap lurus terhadap setiap makhluk, dan yang memandang semua makhluk dengan rasa bahwa mereka adalah diri sendiri—dialah yang sungguh bersatu dengan dharma dan memiliki buahnya.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Dharma is not merely ritual or status; it is embodied through universal compassion, honest and straightforward conduct toward all, and an inner vision that recognizes all beings as one’s own self. Such a person becomes truly ‘joined’ to dharma and gains its results.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Śrī Maheśvara speaks a concise ethical criterion: the mark of a dharmic person is compassionate, sincere behavior toward every being, grounded in an expansive self-identification with all life.