Shloka 47
Adhyāya 119: Vyāsa–Kīṭa-saṃvāda
Tapas-bala and karmic ascent across yoni
प्रवृत्तिलक्षणो धर्म: प्रजार्थिभिरुदाह्ृत: । यथोक्तं राजशार्दूल न तु तन्मोक्षकाड्क्षिणाम्,नृपश्रेष्ठ! प्रजार्थी पुरुषोंने प्रवृत्तिरूप धर्मका प्रतिपादन किया है, परन्तु वह मोक्षकी अभिलाषा रखनेवाले विरक्त पुरुषोंके लिये अभीष्ट नहीं है
pravṛttilakṣaṇo dharmaḥ prajārthibhir udāhṛtaḥ | yathoktaṁ rājaśārdūla na tu tan mokṣakāṅkṣiṇām, nṛpaśreṣṭha |
Bhīṣma berkata: “Dharma yang berciri keterlibatan duniawi (pravṛtti) diajarkan oleh mereka yang mendambakan zuriat dan kelangsungan masyarakat. Benarlah seperti yang telah aku nyatakan, wahai harimau di antara raja-raja; namun jalan itu bukanlah cita pilihan bagi mereka yang merindukan pembebasan, wahai raja yang utama.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes two orientations of dharma: pravṛtti-dharma (engaged, society-sustaining duties such as family, lineage, and social order) and the aspiration for mokṣa (liberation), for which a more detached, renunciant orientation is appropriate. The same ‘dharma’ is not equally fitting for all aims.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing King Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma. Here he clarifies that teachings meant for householders and those seeking progeny/social continuity are not the preferred path for those whose primary goal is liberation.