Manava Dharmashastra 2.1.5

2.1.5

60) | asminsamāse upanayanaṃ brahmajanma | athavā brahmagrahaṇameva janma | tadvipasya śāśvataṃ nityaṃ pretyopakārakamiha copakārakam | 88) iti yagātmanepade | yaḥ sragvyapi | sragasyāstīti sragvī, kṛtakusumadāmā puruṣa ucyate | anena ca brahmacāriniyamatyāgaṃ darśayati | parityajyāpi brahmacāridharmān yadi śaktito yāvacchaknoti svalpamapyanvahaṃ pratyahaṃ vedamadhīte so'pi prakṛṣṭena puruṣārthena yujyate | stutiriyaṃ na punarniyamatyāge'dhyayanaṃmucyate | 6 ) "yaistu dravyaṃ cikīrṣyate" iti ( 2 | 7 ) |" 56), 'viśeṣaṇaṃ viśeṣyeṇeti' (pā0 sū0 2| 57) vā | yadvā yatkiñcidutkṛṣṭaṃ vastu tadratnamucyate tadā viśeṣaṇamiti | atha tu marakatapadmarāgādīnyeva ratnaśabdavācyāni utkarṣasāmānyādanyatra prayogaḥ, tadopamitamiti | yā strī kāntisaṃsthānalāvaṇyātiśayavatī atha dhānyabahudhanasutādiśubhalakṣaṇā sā duṣkulāddhīnakriyāderapyāneyā | 'abrāhmaṇā'dityasya ( 241 ) vidherayamupodghātaḥ | alābhena tu pradarśitaḥ |

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.’