Shloka 31
Adhyaya 53 — Rudrasarga and the Measure of the Manvantaras: Svayambhuva Manu, Priyavrata’s Line, and the Seven Dvipas
ज्ञेयः पञ्चसु धर्मश्च वर्णाश्रमविभागजः ।
नित्यः स्वाभाविकश्चैव अहिंसाविधिवर्धितः ॥
jñeyaḥ pañcasu dharmaś ca varṇāśramavibhāgajaḥ /
nityaḥ svābhāvikaś caiva ahiṃsāvidhivardhitaḥ
तेषु पञ्चसु प्रदेशेषु वर्णाश्रमविभागात् धर्मः प्रवर्तते इति विद्धि; स नित्यः स्वाभाविकश्च, अहिंसानियमेन च सुदृढीभवति।
FAQs
Dharma is presented as both structured (varṇāśrama) and universal (nitya, svābhāvika), with ahiṃsā as a chief enhancer—implying that social duty is legitimate only when it protects life and reduces harm.
Falls under ‘Sthāna’ (ordering of worlds/regions) with a strong ‘Dharma-śāstra’ inflection; it describes how dharma manifests in particular cosmic locales.
Varṇāśrama is treated as an outer scaffold, while ahiṃsā is the inner spiritual criterion; esoterically, the ‘natural’ dharma is the sattvic impulse toward non-injury that purifies the mind across all stations of life.