Shloka 136

उपवासविधि-प्रश्नः

Inquiry into the Discipline of Fasting

Devanagari script

धर्म हि श्रेय इत्याहुरिति धर्मविदो जना: । बड़ा भाई अच्छा काम करनेवाला हो या बुरा, छोटेको उसका अपमान नहीं करना चाहिये। इसी तरह यदि स्त्री अथवा छोटे भाई बुरे रास्तेपर चल रहे हों तो श्रेष्ठ पुरुषको जिस तरहसे भी उनकी भलाई हो, वही उपाय करना चाहिये। धर्मज्ञ पुरुषोंका कहना है कि धर्म ही कल्याणका सर्वश्रेष्ठ साधन है

Transliteration

dharma hi śreya ity āhur iti dharmavido janāḥ |

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Orang yang mengetahui dharma menyatakan, ‘Dharma itulah kebaikan yang tertinggi.’ Maka, sekalipun abang sulung berbuat baik atau buruk, adik tidak wajar menghina dirinya. Demikian juga, jika isteri atau adik lelaki tersasar ke jalan yang salah, orang yang lebih utama hendaklah mengambil apa jua cara yang benar-benar membawa mereka kepada kebajikan dan pembetulan—kerana dharma diajarkan sebagai sarana utama kesejahteraan.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'dharma', 'definition': 'righteous duty

• conduct that sustains social and spiritual well-being'}, {'term': 'hi', 'definition': 'indeed

• certainly (emphatic particle)'}, {'term': 'śreyas (śreyaḥ)', 'definition': 'the highest good

• what is ultimately beneficial'}, {'term': 'iti', 'definition': 'thus

• so (quotative particle)'}, {'term': 'āhuḥ', 'definition': 'they say

• they declare (3rd person plural perfect of √ah)'}, {'term': 'dharmavidaḥ', 'definition': 'knowers of dharma

• those learned in righteous conduct'}, {'term': 'janāḥ', 'definition': 'people

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is presented as the supreme means to welfare (śreyas). From this follows an ethic of restraint and responsibility within the family: do not dishonor elders, and when dependents or juniors go astray, guide them by whatever effective, welfare-producing means aligns with dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anushasana Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma continues advising on righteous conduct. Here he summarizes the authority of dharma-teachers—“dharma is the highest good”—and applies it to household relationships, emphasizing respect and corrective guidance rather than contempt.