आचार्य-धर्मलक्षण-श्रद्धाभक्तिप्राधान्यं तथा लिङ्गे ध्यान-पूजाविधानसंकेतः
Adhyaya 10
अधारणे महत्त्वे च अधर्म इति चोच्यते अत्रेष्टप्रापको धर्म आचार्यैरुपदिश्यते
adhāraṇe mahattve ca adharma iti cocyate atreṣṭaprāpako dharma ācāryairupadiśyate
Apa yang gagal menegakkan tertib yang benar namun mendakwa kebesaran disebut adharma. Di sini para ācārya mengajarkan dharma sebagai apa yang benar-benar menegakkan dan menuntun paśu (jiwa) kepada pencapaian kebaikan yang dihajati—akhirnya rahmat Pati, Śiva.
Suta Goswami (narrating traditional definitions as taught by ācāryas)
It frames dharma as the force that upholds order and grants the sought fruit; in Linga worship, this means ritual and conduct must be sustaining, humble, and aligned with Śiva (Pati), not merely outwardly “great.”
Śiva is implied as the highest aim behind “iṣṭa” (the true desired good): the Pati whose grace is reached through dharma that upholds, rather than adharma that destabilizes.
A principle of Pāśupata discipline is implied: right conduct and sustaining practice (dharma) is the means to attain the intended fruit, whereas showy “greatness” without support is adharma.