Adhyaya 3 — The Dharmapakshis’ Past-Life Curse and Indra’s Test of Truthfulness
तस्मान्नैतत् करिष्यामो नीचीर्णं यत् पुरातनैः ।
जीवन् भद्राण्यवाप्नोति जीवन् पुण्यं करोति च ॥
tasmān naitat kariṣyāmo nīcīrṇaṃ yat purātanaiḥ /
jīvan bhadrāṇy avāpnoti jīvan puṇyaṃ karoti ca
“Oleh itu, kami tidak akan melakukan hal ini—perbuatan hina yang tidak diamalkan oleh orang-orang purba. Selagi hidup, seseorang memperoleh manfaat yang membawa tuah; selagi hidup juga seseorang menunaikan kebajikan dan pahala.”
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The verse affirms sadācāra—right conduct grounded in the example of the virtuous ancients. It rejects “nīcīrṇa” (ignoble behavior) and teaches that dharma is not merely for posthumous reward: living ethically brings immediate welfare (bhadra) and simultaneously generates puṇya (merit).
This verse is primarily dharma-śikṣā (ethical instruction) rather than a direct pancalakṣaṇa element. It aligns most closely as ancillary teaching within a Purāṇic narrative frame, not specifically sarga (creation), pratisarga, vaṃśa (genealogies), manvantara, or vaṃśānucarita (dynastic accounts).
On an inner level, “jīvan” is emphasized twice to point to embodied practice: spiritual progress is validated through lived discipline, not abstract belief. The appeal to “purātanaiḥ” suggests alignment with a perennial dharmic current—conduct that harmonizes the individual with ṛta/dharma yields both visible well-being (bhadra) and subtle accrual of merit (puṇya).