Vānaprastha-dharma and Tapas: Śiva–Umā Saṃvāda
Forest-Stage Discipline and Austerity
यश्चैतदेवं जानीयाज्ज्ञात्वा वा कुरुतेडनघ । सदोषो<दोषवांश्रेह तैर्गुणै: सह युज्यते
yaś caitad evaṁ jānīyāj jñātvā vā kurute 'nagha | sadoṣo 'doṣavān śreṣṭha tair guṇaiḥ saha yujyate ||
毗湿摩说道:“无罪者啊,凡如是理解此教诲,并在理解之后依之而行者,纵曾染诸过失,亦能脱离其过。于是他与诸德相应,安住于善胜之境。”
भीष्म उवाच
Mere awareness is not enough; when one truly understands dharma and then practices it, past moral faults lose their hold, and the person becomes established in virtues.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing the king on dharma. Here he emphasizes the transformative effect of correctly understanding a teaching and living by it: ethical practice purifies and cultivates noble qualities.