Manava Dharmashastra 2.1.4

2.1.4

anye tvetaṃ ślokaṃ sāmānyena dharmalakṣaṇārthaṃ vyācakṣate | evaṃvidhairyaiḥ sevyate sa dharmo'vagantavyaḥ | pratyakṣavedavihitasya smārtasya vā''cārataḥ prāptasya sarvasyaitallakṣaṇaṃ vidyate | atra tu ya etaiḥ sevyate taṃ dharmaṃ nibodhateti pāṭho yuktaḥ | 116) nakṣatramātre paṭhyate, viśeṣe ca vartate | dhāṭyāśabdaḥ sāmidhenīmātre paṭhyate āvāpikīṣu ca vartate | ato'pa evācamyetyarthaḥ | sa evopaspṛśyetyasyāpi | sa ca parastādvidhāyiṣyate | sāmānādhikaraṇyaṃ cānayordṛśyate nityakālamupaspṛśedityabhidhāya trirācāmedityāha | ataḥ samānārthaḥ | 56) samāsaḥ| 'anadhyāye yadadhyayanaṃ' tena 'vaṣaṭkṛtam'| yathā yājyānte avicchedo vaṣaṭkāreṇa kriyata evaṃ caturdaśyādyanadhyāyādhyayanaṃ vaṣaṭkārasthānīyam | vaṣaṭśabdena vaiṣaṭśabdo lakṣyate | tena kṛtaṃ yuktaṃ saṃskṛtam | sādhanaṃkṛteti samāsaḥ | 36) nyāyyā | 87) iti bahulagrahaṇāt | ‘‘nanu cānantarameva vakṣyati ‘garīyān brahmadaḥ pitā’ iti, iha cācāryātpiturādhikyamucyate taditaretaravyāhatam’’ | naiṣa doṣaḥ | ihācāryo nairuktadarśane nādhyāpakaḥ, saṃskāramātreṇācāropadeśamātreṇa cābhipretaḥ | ‘ācāryaṃ’ ācāraṃ grāhayatīti | na caiṣa niyamaḥ svaśāstrasiddhābhireva saṃjñābhirvyavahāraḥ | guruśabdo hyatra pitari paribhāṣitaḥ, ācārye ca tatra tatra prayujyate | tena svalpopakārādupanayanamātrakarādācāragrāhakādadhyāpanarahitādidaṃ piturjyāyastvam | asmiṃścakrame vivakṣite samavāye eteṣāṃ mātā prathamaṃ vandyā tataḥ pitā tata ācāryastata upādhyāyaḥ |

Other people explain this verse as serving the purpose of providing a general definition of ‘Dharma’; the sense being—‘that which is done by such persons should be regarded as Dharma’; this definition is applicable to all forms of Dharma,—that which is directly prescribed by the Veda, that which is laid down in the Smṛti and also that which is got at from Right Usage. In accordance with this explanation, however, the right reading would be—‘yaḥ elaih sevyate tam dharmam nibodhata.’