Śuka’s Nirveda: Vyāsa’s Admonition on Dharma, Impermanence, and ‘Imperishable Wealth’ (अक्षय-धन)
धर्म: सतां हित: पुंसां धर्मश्वैवाश्रय: सताम् | धर्माल्लोकास्त्रयस्तात प्रवृत्ता: सचराचरा:
dharmaḥ satāṃ hitaḥ puṃsāṃ dharmaś caivāśrayaḥ satām | dharmāl lokās trayas tāta pravṛttāḥ sacarācarāḥ ||
Ang dharma ang nagdudulot ng kapakanan sa mga matuwid, at ang dharma rin ang kanilang kanlungan. Anak ko, ang tatlong daigdig—kasama ang lahat ng gumagalaw at di-gumagalaw—ay sumibol at patuloy na umiiral sa bisa ng dharma lamang.
भीष्म उवाच
Dharma is both the welfare of the virtuous and their refuge; it is also the sustaining principle by which the entire cosmos—moving and unmoving—arises and functions.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction section, Bhishma teaches the listener (addressed as 'tāta', typically Yudhiṣṭhira) about the foundational importance of dharma for personal conduct and for the order of the worlds.