Shloka 26
Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
तेषामृषिकृतो धर्मो धर्मिणामुपपद्यते । न कामकारात् कामोडन्य: संसेव्यो धर्मदर्शिभि:
teṣām ṛṣikṛto dharmo dharmiṇām upapadyate | na kāmakārāt kāmo 'nyaḥ saṁsevyo dharmadarśibhiḥ ||
Para aqueles que vivem segundo o dharma, a regra de conduta estabelecida pelos videntes-sábios aplica-se de fato e dá fruto. Os que veem o dharma com clareza não devem buscar prazeres por mero capricho ou desejo; a indulgência movida pela cobiça não deve ser cultivada como modo de vida.
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is to be lived according to the standards established by the sages, and ethical people should not treat desire as a license for indulgence. The verse emphasizes restraint and rule-governed conduct rather than pleasure pursued from mere impulse.
Śrī Maheśvara is instructing about proper dharmic conduct. In context (as reflected in the accompanying explanation), the teaching is applied especially to householders: keeping marital life within Vedic discipline and practicing sense-control, not making desire the guiding principle.