harṣa-sthāna-sahasrāṇi bhaya-sthāna-śatāni ca |
divase divase mūḍham āviśanti na paṇḍitam ||
(Mahābhārata: Svargārohana Parva, 5.48)
“Thousands of occasions for joy, and hundreds of occasions for fear day by day affect the foolish but not the wise.”
anāhūtaḥ praviśati apṛṣṭo bahu bhāṣate |
aviśvaste viśvasiti mūḍha-cetā narādhamaḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: 5.33.36; Vidura-nīti: 38; Mahāsubhāṣita-saṅgraha)
“One who enters uninvited, speaks at length without being asked, and trusts the untrustworthy is a fool and the lowest of men.”
mūrkho hi jalpatāṁ puṁsāṁ śrutvā vācaḥ śubhāśubhāḥ |
aśubhaṁ vākyam ādatte purīṣam iva sūkaraḥ ||
prājñas tu jalpatāṁ puṁsāṁ śrutvā vācaḥ śubhāśubhāḥ |
guṇavad-vākyam ādatte haṁsaḥ kṣīram ivāṁbhasaḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: 10.69.9–10)
“A fool, having heard a person’s beneficial and unbeneficial words, extracts the unbeneficial statements just as a hog extracts excrement [from mud]. One who is wise, however, having heard a person’s beneficial and unbeneficial words, extracts the valuable statements just as a swan extracts milk from water.”
pranaṣṭaḥ śāśvato dharmaḥ sadācāreṇa mohitaḥ |
tena vaidyas tapasvī vā balavān vā vimohyate ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.254.21)
“The eternal dharma is completely lost when one is deluded by sadācāra. [Even] A learned person, or an ascetic, or a powerful person, may be deluded by this.”
na tat-parasya saṁdadhyāt pratikūlaṁ yadātmanaḥ |
saṁgraheṇaiṣa dharmaḥ syāt kāmād anyaḥ pravartate ||
(Mahābhārata: 5.39.57; 13.114.8)
“That which is objectionable to one’s self should not be done to others. This, in summary, is dharma. Behavior contrary to this arises from kāma [i.e., selfish desire].”
tasmād dharma-pradhānena bhavitavyaṁ yatātmanā |
tathā ca sarva-bhūteṣu vartitavyaṁ yathātmani ||
(Mahābhārata: 12.161.8)
[Vidura to Yudhiṣṭhira:] “Therefore, with dharma as one’s chief object, one should be self-controlled. And one should treat all beings as oneself [i.e., one should treat others as one would treat oneself].”
yasmin yathā vartate yo manuṣyas
tasmiṁs tathā vartitavyaṁ sa dharmaḥ |
māyācāro māyayā vartitavyaḥ
sādhv-ācāraḥ sādhunā pratyudeyaḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: 5.37.7, 12.110.27)
“Dharma is that which is to be acted out in relation to, and accord with, how a person acts [towards oneself, i.e., one should treat others as others treat oneself]. Deceitful behavior is to be employed with one who is deceitful, and honest behavior is to be requited with one who is honest.”
na jātu kāmān na bhayān na lobhād
dharmaṁ tyajej jīvitasyāpi hetoḥ |
nityo dharmaḥ sukha-duḥkhe tv anitye
jīvo nityo hetur asya tv anityaḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: Svargārohana Parva, 5.50)
“Never—neither because of desires, nor because of fears, nor because of greed—forsake dharma, even for the sake of [one’s] life. Dharma is eternal, whereas pleasure and displeasure are temporary. Life is eternal, whereas its means [i.e., the body] is temporary.”
duṣkaraṁ parama-jñānaṁ tarkeṇātra vyavasyati |
śrutir dharma iti hy eke vadanti bahavo janāḥ |
na tv etat pratisūyāmi na hi sarvaṁ vidhīyate ||
(Mahābhārata: 8.49.48–49)
[Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa recounts to Arjuna a statement of Indra:] “Complete understanding [of dharma] is difficult to attain. In this regard [i.e., in regard to proper understanding of dharma] one ascertains it with reasoning. Many persons says, ‘Dharma is śruti.’ While I do not oppose this [i.e., this view], it is not applicable to everything.”
tarko’pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā
nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam |
dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ
mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ ||
(Mahābhārata: Vana-parva, 313.117; cited in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: 2.17.186, 2.25.57)
“Reasoning is inconclusive, the Śrutis are variegated, and one whose opinion is not distinctive is not a ṛṣi. The nature of dharma is [thus] hidden in secret. [Therefore,] That by which a mahājana has gone is the path.”
