Shloka 9
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
धर्मस्याख्या महाराज व्यवहार इतीष्यते । तस्य लोप: कथ॑ं न स्याल्लोकेष्ववहितात्मन:
dharmasyākhyā mahārāja vyavahāra itīṣyate | tasya lopaḥ kathaṃ na syāl lokeṣv avahitātmanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: «Ó grande rei, diz-se que a própria definição de dharma é a conduta correta na vida prática (vyavahāra). Sendo assim, como poderia esse dharma não declinar entre pessoas cuja mente não é atenta nem disciplinada?»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely theory but is recognized through lived, practical conduct (vyavahāra). When people are mentally inattentive and undisciplined, the everyday practices that sustain dharma naturally erode, leading to its decline in society.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on the nature of dharma. Here he emphasizes that dharma is identified with real-world conduct and warns that without attentiveness of mind, social and ethical order cannot be maintained.