Shloka 44
एकान्तिधर्म-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into Ekāntin Dharma) / The Origin and Practice of Single-Pointed Nārāyaṇa-Centered Discipline
भविष्यति प्रमाणं वै एतन्मदनुशासनम् । 'ब्राह्मणो! जैसे मेरे प्रसादसे उत्पन्न ब्रह्मा प्रमाणभूत हैं एवं जैसे क्रोधसे उत्पन्न रुद्र
bhaviṣyati pramāṇaṃ vai etan mad-anuśāsanam | brāhmaṇa! yathā mama prasādasa utpannaḥ brahmā pramāṇabhūtaḥ, yathā ca krodhasa utpannaḥ rudraḥ; yathā ca yūyaṃ sarve prajāpati-sūrya-candrama-vāyu-bhūmi-jala-agni-sarva-nakṣatrāṇi tathā anyāny api bhūtanāmadhārīṇi padārthāḥ brahmavādinaś ca ṛṣayaḥ sva-svādhi-kārānusāreṇa pravartamānāḥ pramāṇabhūtā manyadhve, tathā yuṣmābhiḥ kṛtam idaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ śāstram api prāmāṇikaṃ manyiṣyate—eṣā mama ājñā || tasmāt pravakṣyate dharmān manuḥ svāyambhuvaḥ svayam; śukrācāryo bṛhaspatiś ca yadā prādurbhaviṣyataḥ tadā tau api yuṣmad-buddhi-niṣpannaṃ śāstram idaṃ pravakṣyataḥ ||
भीष्म उवाच—एतन्मदनुशासनं वै प्रमाणं भविष्यति। ब्राह्मण! यथा मम प्रसादसमुद्भवो ब्रह्मा प्रमाणभूतः, यथा च क्रोधसमुद्भवो रुद्रः प्रमाणभूतः; तथा यूयं प्रजापतयः सूर्यश्चन्द्रमा वायुः पृथिव्यापोऽग्निः सर्वाणि नक्षत्राणि नामभिर्विशिष्टानि भूतानि ब्रह्मवादिनो ऋषयश्च स्वस्वाधिकारानुसारं प्रवर्तमाना प्रमाणभूता मन्यध्वे—तथैव युष्माभिः कृतमिदमुत्तमं शास्त्रमपि प्रामाण्यं गमिष्यति; एष मम आज्ञा। तस्मात् स्वायम्भुवो मनुः स्वयमेवैतस्मिन्नेव ग्रन्थे धर्मान् प्रवक्ष्यति; उशनाः (शुक्राचार्यः) बृहस्पतिश्च यदोत्पन्नौ भविष्यतः, तदापि युष्मन्मतिभिरुद्धृतमिदं शास्त्रं प्रवक्ष्यतः।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma establishes that a dharma-śāstra gains binding authority when it is sanctioned within the cosmic hierarchy of recognized pramāṇas: deities, progenitors, and Brahman-knowing seers each function as authorities in their domains, and likewise the composed treatise will be accepted as a standard for dharma.
In Bhishma’s discourse on dharma, he addresses a Brahmin and proclaims that his injunction will make the newly composed śāstra authoritative; he further foretells that future lawgivers and teachers—Svāyambhuva Manu, Śukra, and Bṛhaspati—will teach dharma in accordance with that very text.