Shloka 26
श्रेयो-धर्मकर्मविचारः
Inquiry into Śreyas, Dharma, and Karma
बह्दाश्रयो बहुमुखो धर्मो हृदि समाश्रित: । स ब्रह्म परमो धर्मस्तपश्च॒ सदसच्च स:
bahudāśrayo bahumukho dharmo hṛdi samāśritaḥ | sa brahma paramo dharmas tapaś ca sadasac ca saḥ ||
భీష్ముడు పలికెను—ధర్మం అనేక ఆధారాలపై నిలిచి అనేక స్వరాలతో పలుకుతుంది; అయితే హృదయంలో నివసించే ధర్మం ఆ పరమ తత్త్వమే. అదే బ్రహ్మ; అదే ఆత్మసాక్షాత్కారరూప పరమధర్మం; అదే తపస్సు, అదే సత్-అసత్ల స్వరూపమూ.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma appears diverse—varying by social role, stage of life, and circumstance—but its deepest ground is the inner realization of Brahman. The highest dharma is Self-knowledge, from which disciplined living (tapas) and the understanding of reality and appearance (sat/asat) are properly oriented.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous living after the war, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira that dharma cannot be reduced to a single external rule. He points beyond the many outward expressions of duty to the heart-centered and metaphysical source: Brahman, the ultimate principle that underlies all ethical and spiritual life.