Shloka 44
त्रिवर्गमूलनिश्चयः — Determining the Roots of Dharma, Artha, and Kāma
Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 123
प्रजापतेस्ततो धर्मो जागर्ति विनयात्मक: । धर्माच्च ब्रह्मुण: पुत्रो व्यवसाय: सनातन:
prajāpates tato dharmo jāgarti vinayātmakaḥ | dharmācca brahmuṇaḥ putro vyavasāyaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Dari Prajāpati timbul Dharma, yang senantiasa terjaga dan berakar pada disiplin serta kerendahan hati. Dan dari Dharma lahir Vyavasāya yang kekal—keteguhan tekad dan usaha yang terarah—laksana putra Brahmā yang bertahan sepanjang zaman.
वसुहरोम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is portrayed as intrinsically vigilant and rooted in vinaya (humble discipline). From such Dharma arises vyavasāya—steady, enduring resolve—implying that ethical order naturally generates purposeful commitment to right action.
Vasuharoma continues a didactic exposition in Śānti Parva, presenting a quasi-genealogy of principles: Prajāpati gives rise to Dharma, and from Dharma emerges the eternal quality of vyavasāya (determined undertaking), framing moral life as a cosmic and perennial structure.