Shloka 28
अव्यक्तकालमान-निर्णयः
Measures of Time from the Unmanifest; Creation, Elements, and the Primacy of Mind
चत्वारि यस्य द्वाराणि सुगुप्तान्यमरोत्तमा: । उपस्थमुदरं हस्तौ वाक् चतुर्थी स धर्मवित्,देवेश्वरो! जिस पुरुषके उपस्थ, उदर, दोनों हाथ और वाणी--ये चारों द्वार सुरक्षित होते हैं, वही धर्मज्ञ है
catvāri yasya dvārāṇi sugupṭāny amarottamāḥ | upastham udaraṁ hastau vāk caturthī sa dharmavit ||
Wahai yang terbaik di antara para abadi, orang yang empat ‘gerbang’-nya terjaga baik—nafsu kelamin, perut (selera), kedua tangan (perbuatan), dan ucapan sebagai yang keempat—dialah yang sungguh memahami dharma.
हंस उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is grounded in disciplined self-restraint: guarding desire (sex), appetite (food), actions (hands), and speech. Mastery over these channels prevents harm and cultivates ethical clarity.
In a didactic exchange within the Śānti Parva, the Haṃsa (Swan) delivers a concise moral definition of a ‘knower of dharma,’ using the metaphor of four guarded gates that regulate human conduct.