Shloka 31
Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
आर्जवे तु रतो नित्यं वसत्यमरसंनिधौ । तस्मादार्जवयुक्त: स्याद् य इच्छेद् धर्ममात्मन:,जो सदा सरल बर्तावमें तत्पर रहता है, वह देवताओंके समीप निवास करता है। इसलिये जो अपने धर्मका फल पाना चाहता हो, उसे सरलतापूर्ण बर्तावसे युक्त होना चाहिये
ārjave tu rato nityaṃ vasaty amarasaṃnidhau | tasmād ārjavayuktaḥ syād ya icched dharmam ātmanaḥ ||
Sesiapa yang sentiasa berpegang pada kelurusan hati (ārjava) seolah-olah tinggal di hadapan para dewa sendiri. Maka, barang siapa menghendaki buah sejati daripada dharmanya, hendaklah membina perilaku yang sederhana, jujur, dan tanpa tipu daya.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that ārjava—straightforward, guileless integrity in speech and behavior—is itself a divine-aligned virtue: it brings one into the ‘presence of the gods’ and is a necessary means for obtaining the true fruit of one’s dharma.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s didactic setting, Śrī Maheśvara instructs on ethical qualities. Here he highlights ārjava as a foundational moral discipline, linking inner intention and outer conduct to spiritual proximity and the fulfillment of dharma.