Shloka 11
Satya–Anṛta Viveka (Discrimination between Truth and Falsehood) | सत्य–अनृत विवेकः
धारणाद् धर्ममित्याहुर्धमेण विधृता: प्रजा: । यः स्याद् धारणसंयुक्त: स धर्म इति निश्चय:
dhāraṇād dharmam ity āhur dharmeṇa vidhṛtāḥ prajāḥ | yaḥ syād dhāraṇa-saṁyuktaḥ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ ||
ພີສະມະ ກ່າວວ່າ: “ເຂົາເອີ້ນວ່າ ‘ທຳມະ’ ເພາະມັນເປັນສິ່ງທີ່ຄ້ຳຈຸນ. ດ້ວຍທຳມະ ປະຊາຊົນຈຶ່ງຖືກຮັກສາ ແລະຖືກຍຶດໄວ້ໃຫ້ຢູ່ຮ່ວມກັນ. ດັ່ງນັ້ນ ສິ່ງໃດທີ່ມີພະລັງໃນການຄ້ຳຈຸນ ຖະນອມຮັກສາ ແລະປົກປ້ອງຊີວິດ—ນັ້ນແຫຼະເທົ່ານັ້ນແມ່ນທຳມະ; ນີ້ແມ່ນຂໍ້ສະຫຼຸບອັນໝັ້ນຄົງຂອງຜູ້ຮູ້ທຳມະ.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is defined by its function: it ‘upholds’—protecting life, sustaining society, and maintaining order. Whatever genuinely supports and preserves beings is dharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct after the war, Bhīṣma teaches Yudhiṣṭhira by giving a foundational definition of dharma as the sustaining principle of society and life.