Shloka 65
Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)
वेदोक्तः परमो धर्म: स्मृतिशास्त्रगतो5पर: । शिष्टाचीर्णो पर: प्रोक्तस्त्रयो धर्मा: सनातना:
vedoktaḥ paramo dharmaḥ smṛtiśāstragato 'paraḥ | śiṣṭācīrṇo paraḥ proktas trayo dharmāḥ sanātanāḥ ||
Wika ni Śrī Maheśvara: “Ang dharmang itinakda ng Veda ang pinakadakila. Sumunod ang dharmang nasa mga Smṛti-śāstra, na kaayon ng Veda. Ang ikatlo ay ang dharmang isinasagawa ng mga taong marangal at huwaran (śiṣṭa). Ang tatlong dharmang ito ay walang hanggan.”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is presented as having three enduring authorities: (1) Vedic injunctions as the highest standard, (2) Smṛti-śāstras insofar as they accord with the Veda, and (3) the lived conduct of exemplary, well-formed people (śiṣṭācāra) as a practical guide when applying dharma in society.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Śrī Maheśvara speaks as a teacher of dharma, classifying the recognized bases of righteous conduct—scripture (Veda), tradition (Smṛti), and the normative practice of the virtuous (śiṣṭācāra)—to guide ethical decision-making.