Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Reconciliation and Partition (भीष्मोपदेशः—संधि-राज्यविभागविचारः)
न तु धर्मस्य सूक्ष्मत्वाद् गतिं विद्य कथंचन । अधर्मो धर्म इति वा व्यवसायो न शक््यते
na tu dharmasya sūkṣmatvād gatiṁ vidma kathaṁcana | adharmo dharma iti vā vyavasāyo na śakyate ||
然而,达摩之性极其微妙,我们无论如何也不能真正洞见其行径。因此,像我们这样的人不可能确切断定此举究竟是非达摩(adharma)还是达摩。故而,婆罗门啊,我们无论如何也不能同意让克里希纳公主成为五位男子的合法妻子。
धष्टहुम्न उवाच
The verse stresses that dharma is subtle and difficult to judge with certainty; therefore one should be cautious about issuing definitive moral-legal verdicts, especially in unprecedented situations.
In the discussion about Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) becoming the wife of five men, the speaker refuses to give approval, arguing that it is impossible for them to decide conclusively whether such an act is dharma or adharma because dharma’s true course is extremely subtle.