Jñāna-yoga and Karma-phala: Manu–Bṛhaspati on Akṣara and the Limits of Mantra
एक एव चरेद् धर्म नास्ति धर्मे सहायता । केवलं विधिमासाद्य सहाय: कि करिष्यति,केवल वेदविधिका सहारा लेकर अकेले ही धर्मका आचरण करना चाहिये। उसमें सहायताकी आवश्यकता नहीं है। कोई दूसरा सहायक आकर क्या करेगा
eka eva cared dharmaṁ nāsti dharme sahāyatā | kevalaṁ vidhim āsādya sahāyaḥ ki kariṣyati ||
ビーシュマは言った。「ダルマは独りで修すべきである。ダルマにおいては助け手に依るところはない。規範と正しい方法のみを拠り所とするなら、外から来る助力者に何ができようか。義の力は、己の決意と定められた道への誠実な遵守に宿り、借り物の後ろ盾には宿らぬ。」
भीष्म उवाच
Dharma is fundamentally personal: right conduct depends on one’s own commitment to the proper rule (vidhi), not on external support. Helpers cannot substitute for inner resolve and correct adherence to the prescribed path.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, Bhishma continues advising the listener on ethical conduct, emphasizing that dharma is to be pursued independently, with śāstric method as the true support rather than reliance on other people.