Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
सर्वभूतानुकम्पी यः सर्वभूतार्जवव्रत: । सर्वभूतात्मभूतश्न स वै धर्मेण युज्यते
sarvabhūtānukampī yaḥ sarvabhūtārjavavrataḥ | sarvabhūtātma-bhūtaś ca sa vai dharmeṇa yujyate ||
ಮಹೇಶ್ವರನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಎಲ್ಲ ಜೀವಿಗಳ ಮೇಲೆ ಕರುಣೆ ತೋರಿ, ಎಲ್ಲರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಸರಳತೆಯ ವ್ರತವನ್ನು ಪಾಲಿಸಿ, ಸಮಸ್ತ ಭೂತಗಳನ್ನು ಆತ್ಮಭಾವದಿಂದ ನೋಡುವವನೇ ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ಧರ್ಮದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಯುಕ್ತನಾಗಿ ಧರ್ಮಫಲವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದುತ್ತಾನೆ.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Dharma is not merely ritual or status; it is embodied through universal compassion, honest and straightforward conduct toward all, and an inner vision that recognizes all beings as one’s own self. Such a person becomes truly ‘joined’ to dharma and gains its results.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Śrī Maheśvara speaks a concise ethical criterion: the mark of a dharmic person is compassionate, sincere behavior toward every being, grounded in an expansive self-identification with all life.