Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 28
Pratyakṣa–Āgama–Ācāra: Doubt, Proof, and the Practice of Dharma (प्रत्यक्ष–आगम–आचारविचारः)
सर्वभूतानुकम्पी यः सर्वभूतार्जवव्रत: । सर्वभूतात्मभूतश्न स वै धर्मेण युज्यते
sarvabhūtānukampī yaḥ sarvabhūtārjavavrataḥ | sarvabhūtātma-bhūtaś ca sa vai dharmeṇa yujyate ||
大自在天说道：“凡怜悯一切众生，于一切有情以正直为誓而行，并以自他不二之心观一切众生如同自身者，此人便真正与正法相合，得具其果。”
श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely ritual or status; it is embodied through universal compassion, honest and straightforward conduct toward all, and an inner vision that recognizes all beings as one’s own self. Such a person becomes truly ‘joined’ to dharma and gains its results.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Śrī Maheśvara speaks a concise ethical criterion: the mark of a dharmic person is compassionate, sincere behavior toward every being, grounded in an expansive self-identification with all life.