Shloka 9
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
धर्मस्याख्या महाराज व्यवहार इतीष्यते । तस्य लोप: कथ॑ं न स्याल्लोकेष्ववहितात्मन:
dharmasyākhyā mahārāja vyavahāra itīṣyate | tasya lopaḥ kathaṃ na syāl lokeṣv avahitātmanaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Raja Agung, definisi dharma dikatakan sebagai vyavahāra—tata laku yang tepat dalam kehidupan nyata. Jika demikian, bagaimana mungkin dharma itu tidak merosot di tengah manusia yang batinnya tidak waspada dan tidak terlatih?”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely theory but is recognized through lived, practical conduct (vyavahāra). When people are mentally inattentive and undisciplined, the everyday practices that sustain dharma naturally erode, leading to its decline in society.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on the nature of dharma. Here he emphasizes that dharma is identified with real-world conduct and warns that without attentiveness of mind, social and ethical order cannot be maintained.