Shloka 7
Adhyāya 290: Sāṃkhya-vidhi, Deha-doṣa, Guṇa-vicāra, and Mokṣa-gati
Bhīṣma–Yudhiṣṭhira Dialogue
पराशरजीने कहा--राजन्! जैसा कि मनीषी पुरुषोंका कथन है, धर्मका ही विधिपूर्वक अनुष्ठान किया जाय तो वह इहलोक और परलोकमें भी कल्याणकारी होता है। उससे बढ़कर दूसरा कोई श्रेयका उत्तम साधन नहीं है ।।
parāśara uvāca—rājan! yathā manīṣi-puruṣāṇāṃ vacanaṃ, dharmasyaiva vidhi-pūrvakam anuṣṭhānaṃ kriyate cet sa iha-loke para-loke ca kalyāṇakaraḥ. tasmād anyat śreyasaḥ uttamaṃ sādhanam nāsti. pratipadya naro dharmaṃ svarga-loke mahīyate. dharmātmakaḥ karma-vidhir dehināṃ, nṛpa-sattama. vedeṣu ‘satyaṃ vada, dharmaṃ cara, yajeta, juhuyāt’ ity-ādi-vākyaiḥ manuṣyāṇāṃ kartavya-vidhānaṃ yat, tad eva dharmasya lakṣaṇam.
波罗舍罗说道：“大王啊，正如智者所言，若依正当而既定的仪轨奉行达摩（Dharma），则今世与来世皆得安乐吉祥。求真实福祉，莫有高于此者。明了达摩而以达摩为归依之人，在天界受尊崇。至于具身众生，哦，诸王之最胜者，立基于达摩的行事法则已由《吠陀》宣示；诸如‘说真实语，行达摩，行祭祀，献供火供’等诫命——正是识别达摩的标志。”
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma, when performed according to proper injunction (vidhi), is the supreme means to true welfare (śreyas), benefiting both this life and the next; Vedic commands like truthfulness, righteous conduct, sacrifice, and oblations indicate dharma’s defining marks.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous living, the sage Parāśara addresses a king, urging him to rely on dharma and explaining that the Vedas prescribe concrete duties that serve as dharma’s recognizable definition.