Mahabharata · Chapter 12.65

śrutā me kathitāḥ pūrvaṃ catvāro mānavāśramāḥ /
vyākhyānameṣāmācakṣva pṛcchato me pitāmaha //
bhīṣma uvāca /

viditāḥ sarva eveha dharmāstava yudhiṣṭhira /
yathā mama mahābāho viditāḥ sādhusammatāḥ //

yattu liṅgāntaragataṃ pṛcchase māṃ yudhiṣṭhira / dharmaṃ dharmabhṛtāṃ śreṣṭha tannibodha narādhipa /

sarvāṇyetāni kaunteya vidyante bharatarṣabha /
sādhvācārapravṛttānāṃ cāturāśramyakarmaṇām //

akāmadveṣasaṃyukto daṇ़ḍanītyā yudhiṣṭhira /
samadarśī ca bhūteṣu bhaikṣyāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

vetti dānaṃ visargaṃ ca vigrahānugrahau tathā /
yathoktavṛtto dhīraśca kṣamāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

arhānpūjayato nityaṃ saṃvibhāgena pāṇḍava /
sarvatastasya kaunteya bhaikṣyāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

jñātisambandhimitrāṇi vyāpannāni yudhiṣṭhira /
samabhyuddharamāṇasya dīkṣāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

lokamukhyeṣu satkāraṃ liṅgimukhyeṣu cāsakṛt /
kurvatastasya kaunteya vanyāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

āhnikaṃ pitṛyajñāṃśca bhūtayajñānsamānuṣān /
kurvataḥ pārtha vipulānvanyāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

saṃvibhāgena bhūtānāmatithīnāṃ tathā'rcanāt /
devayajñaiśca rājendra vanyāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

mardanaṃ pararāṣṭrāṇāṃ śiṣṭārthaṃ satyavikrama /
kurvataḥ puruṣavyāghra vanyāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

pālanātsarvabhūtānāṃ svarāṣṭraparipālanāt /
dīkṣā bahuvidhā rājansatyāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

vedādhyayananityatvaṃ kṣamā'thācāryapūjanam /
tathopādhyāyaśuśrūṣā brahmāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

āhnikāñjapamānasya devānpūjayataḥ sadā /
dharmeṇa puruṣavyāghra dharmāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

mṛtyurvā rakṣaṇaṃ veti yasya rājño viniścayaḥ /
prāṇadyūte vyavasthāpya brahmāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

ajihnamaśaṭhaṃ mārgaṃ vartamānasya bhārata /
sarvadā sarvabhūteṣu brahmāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

vānaprastheṣu vipreṣu traividyeṣu ca bhārata /
prayacchato'rthānvipulānvanyāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

sarvabhūteṣvanukrośaṃ kurvatastava bhārata /
ānṛśaṃsye pravṛttasya niyataḥ puṇyasañcayaḥ //

bālavṛddheṣu kaunteya sarvāvasthaṃ yudhiṣṭhira /
anukrośakriyā pārtha dharma eṣa sanātanaḥ //

balātkṛteṣu bhūteṣu paritrāṇaṃ kurūdvaha /
śaraṇāgateṣu kauravya paraṃ kāruṇyamācara //

carācarāṇāṃ bhūtānāṃ rakṣaṇaṃ cāpi sarvaśaḥ /
yathārhapūjāṃ ca tathā kurvangārhasthyamāvaset //

jyeṣṭhānujyeṣṭhapatnīnāṃ bhrātṝṇāṃ putranaptṛṇām /
nigrahānugrahau pārtha gārhasthyamamitaṃ tapaḥ //

sādhūnāmarcanīyānāṃ pūjāsu viditātmanām /
pālanaṃ puruṣavyāghra gṛhāśramapadaṃ bhavet //

āśramasthāni bhūtāni yasya veśmani bhārata /
bhuñjate vipulaṃ bhojyaṃ tadgārhasthyaṃ yudhiṣṭhira //

yaḥ sthitaḥ puruṣo dharme dhātrā sṛṣṭe yathārthavat /
āśramāṇāṃ hi sarveṣāṃ phalaṃ prāpnotyanāmayam //

yasminna naśyanti guṇāḥ kaunteya puruṣe sadā /
āśramasthaṃ tamapyāhurnaraśreṣṭhaṃ yudhiṣṭhira //

sthānamānaṃ kulemānaṃ vayomānaṃ tathaiva ca /
kurvanvasati sarveṣu hyāśrameṣu yudhiṣṭhira //

deśadharmāṃśca kaunteya kuladharmāstathaiva ca /
pālayanpuruṣavyāghra rājā sarvāśramī bhavet //

kāle vibhūtiṃ bhūtānāmupahārāṃstathaiva ca /
arhayanpuruṣavyāghra sādhūnāmāśrame vaset //

deśadharmagataścāpi yo dharmaṃ pratyavekṣate /
sarvalokasya kaunteya rājā bhavati sośramī //

ye dharmakuśalā loke dharmaṃ kurvanti bhārata /
pālitā yasya viṣaye pādāṃśastasya bhūpateḥ //

dharmārāmāndharmaparānye na rakṣanti mānavān /
pārthivāḥ puruṣavyāghra teṣāṃ pāpaṃ haranti te //

ye ca rakṣāsahāyāḥ syuḥ pārthivānāṃ yudhiṣṭhira /
te caivāṃśaharāḥ sarve dharme parakṛte'nagha //

sarvāśramapade'pyāhurgārhasthyaṃ dīptanirṇayam /
pāvanaṃ puruṣavyāghra yadvayaṃ paryupāsmahe //

ātmopamastu bhūteṣu yo vai bhavati mānavaḥ /
nyastadaṇḍo jitakrodhaḥ pretyeha labhate sukham //

dharmocchritā satyajalā śīlayaṣṭirdamadhvajā /
tyāgavātādhvagā śīghrā naustayā santariṣyati //

yadā sarvatra nirmuktaḥ kāmo nāsya hṛdi sthitaḥ /
yadā satyānvito vṛttaistadā brahma sama śnute //

suprasannastu bhāvena yogena ca narādhipa /
dharmaṃ puruṣaśārdūla prāpsyase pālane rataḥ //

vedādhyayanaśīlānāṃ viprāṇāṃ sādhukarmaṇām /
pālane yatnamātiṣṭha sarvalokasya cānagha //

vane caranti ye dharmamāśrameṣu ca bhārata /
rakṣaṇāttacchataguṇaṃ dharmaṃ prāpnoti pārthivaḥ //

eṣa te vividho dharmaḥ pāṇḍavaśreṣṭha kīrtitaḥ /
yudhiṣṭhira tvamenaṃ vai pūrvaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ sanātanam //

cāturāśramyamaikāgryaṃ cāturvarṇyaṃ ca pāṇḍavaṃ /
dharmaṃ puruṣaśārdūla prāpsyase pālane rataḥ //