Prāyaścitta and Contextual Non-Culpability (प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त-अदोषवाद)
शिष्टाचारश्व शिष्ट श्न धर्मो धर्मभूतां वर । सेवितव्यो नरव्याघ्र प्रेत्येह च सुखेप्सुना
śiṣṭācāraś ca śiṣṭokto dharmo dharmabhṛtāṃ vara | sevitavyo naravyāghra pretyeha ca sukhepsunā ||
毗耶娑说道:“噢,护持达摩者中之最胜,噢,人中之虎——凡求今世与身后之乐者,当恒常追随贤善之人的行仪,并奉行正直者所教之达摩。”
व्यास उवाच
Happiness and well-being—both in this life and after death—depend on aligning one’s life with dharma, specifically as embodied in the exemplary conduct (śiṣṭācāra) and teachings (śiṣṭokta) of the virtuous.
In the didactic setting of Śānti Parva, Vyāsa delivers moral instruction to a heroic listener, emphasizing that ethical guidance should be taken from the lived example and counsel of righteous elders rather than from mere personal preference.