Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
प्रतिज्ञां चाधिरोहस्व मनसा कर्मणा गिरा । पालयिष्याम्यहं भौम॑ ब्रह्म इत्येव चासकृत्,“साथ ही यह प्रतिज्ञा करो कि “मैं मन, वाणी और क्रियाद्वारा भूतलवर्ती ब्रह्म (वेद) का निरन्तर पालन करूँगा
pratijñāṁ cādhirohasva manasā karmaṇā girā | pālayiṣyāmy ahaṁ bhauma brahma ityeva cāsakṛt ||
Juga, ambillah sumpah ini dengan teguh: “Dengan pikiran, perbuatan, dan ucapan, aku akan senantiasa menegakkan Brahman yang bersemayam di bumi—yakni Weda.”
भीष्म उवाच
Dharma must be upheld integrally—through thought, speech, and action. The verse stresses a disciplined, continuous commitment to preserving sacred knowledge (brahma as the Veda) as a lived ethical practice, not merely a verbal claim.
In Bhishma’s instruction within the Shanti Parva, he urges the listener to adopt a firm vow and repeatedly affirm it: to uphold and preserve the Vedic order/teaching on earth by aligning inner intention (mind), outward expression (speech), and conduct (action).