Shloka 35
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
मनुनाभिद्िितं शास्त्र यच्चापि कुरुनन्दन । तत्राप्येष महाराज दृष्टो धर्म: सनातन:,महाराज कुरुनन्दन! मनुने भी जिस धर्मशास्त्रका प्रतिपादन किया है, उसमें भी यही सनातन धर्म देखा गया है
manunābhihitaṃ śāstraṃ yaccāpi kurunandana | tatrāpy eṣa mahārāja dṛṣṭo dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Wahai kebanggaan wangsa Kuru, bahkan dalam śāstra yang dinyatakan oleh Manu pun, dharma yang sama inilah yang tampak—dharma yang kekal, wahai Maharaja.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma affirms that the dharma he is describing is not a novel opinion but a timeless principle: it is also found in Manu’s authoritative dharma-śāstra, showing continuity and universality of ethical law.
In the Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs the king (Yudhishthira) on dharma. Here he strengthens his counsel by citing Manu’s śāstra as corroboration, emphasizing that the same eternal dharma is attested there as well.