Shloka 51
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
व्यवहारस्तु वेदात्मा वेदप्रत्यय उच्यते । मौलश्न नरशार्दूल शास्त्रोक्तश्न तथा पर:
vyavahāras tu vedātmā vedapratyaya ucyate | maulaś ca naraśārdūla śāstroktas ca tathā paraḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच— व्यवहारस्तु वेदात्मा वेदप्रत्यय उच्यते। मौलश्च नरशार्दूल शास्त्रोक्तश्च तथापरः॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that worldly/legal practice (vyavahāra) should not be treated as mere convention: it is ideally rooted in the Veda and validated by Vedic authority. Alongside this, he acknowledges multiple standards for determining right conduct—an original/foundational basis (maula) and an additional basis articulated in śāstra—indicating a layered approach to dharma where practice, Vedic grounding, and śāstric formulation interact.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, governance, and norms after the war. Here he is clarifying how to evaluate rules and judgments: everyday practice is to be understood as Veda-rooted, while also recognizing foundational principles and śāstric prescriptions as complementary guides in deciding what is right.