Shloka 9
Daṇḍotpatti-kathana (Origin and Function of Daṇḍa) — वसुहोम–मान्धातृ संवाद
धर्मस्याख्या महाराज व्यवहार इतीष्यते । तस्य लोप: कथ॑ं न स्याल्लोकेष्ववहितात्मन:
dharmasyākhyā mahārāja vyavahāra itīṣyate | tasya lopaḥ kathaṃ na syāl lokeṣv avahitātmanaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，人们说，法（dharma）的定义就在于世间实际生活中的正当行持——即‘毗耶婆诃罗’（vyavahāra，世务/裁断之行）。若是如此，在那些心神不专、缺乏自律的人群之中，法又怎能不衰落呢？”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely theory but is recognized through lived, practical conduct (vyavahāra). When people are mentally inattentive and undisciplined, the everyday practices that sustain dharma naturally erode, leading to its decline in society.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma instructs King Yudhiṣṭhira on the nature of dharma. Here he emphasizes that dharma is identified with real-world conduct and warns that without attentiveness of mind, social and ethical order cannot be maintained.