अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
कथं न विप्रणश्येम योनितो<स्या इति प्रभो । कुर्वन्ति धर्म मनुजा: श्रुतिप्रामाण्यदर्शनात्
kathaṁ na vipraṇaśyema yonito ’syā iti prabho | kurvanti dharma manuṣyāḥ śrutiprāmāṇyadarśanāt ||
Wika ni Parāśara: “O panginoon, sa pag-iisip na, ‘Paano tayo hindi mapapahamak—paano tayo hindi mahuhulog mula sa kapanganakang-tao tungo sa mas mababang kalagayan?’ at sa pagninilay sa awtoridad ng pahayag ng Veda (śruti), isinasagawa ng mga tao ang dharma.”
पराशर उवाच
Humans practice dharma with the aim of not degenerating from the precious human condition, grounding their conduct in the recognized authority of śruti (Vedic revelation) as a reliable guide for right living.
Parāśara addresses a ‘lord’ and explains the motivation behind human religious-ethical practice: people, fearing downfall into lower births and trusting śruti as authoritative, undertake dharma as a deliberate discipline.