| Apart from all these pramanas, one's own inner conscience is also a dharma pramana as given by Vyasa. | | Apart from all these pramanas, one's own inner conscience is also a dharma pramana as given by Vyasa. |
− | A good example of Atma pramana is seen in Mahabharata in the Adi Parva, when Dushyanta speaks about his inner conscience advising him that it was not against his dharma to make an offer of marriage to Shakuntala, at Kanva Maharshi's ashram, even though he does not know her lineage. | + | A good example of Atma pramana is seen in Mahabharata in the Adi Parva, when Dushyanta speaks about his inner conscience advising him that it was not against his dharma to make an offer of marriage to Shakuntala, at Kanva Maharshi's ashram, even though he does not know her lineage. <blockquote>न मेऽन्यत्र क्षत्रियाया मनो जातु प्रवर्तते। ऋषिपुत्रीषु चान्यासु नावरासु परासु च।। (Maha. Adi. Parv. 92.20)</blockquote><blockquote>तस्मात्प्रणिहितात्मानं विद्दि मां कलभाषिणि। यस्यां मे त्वयि भावोऽस्ति क्षत्रिया ह्यसि का वदा।। (Maha. Adi. Parv. 92.21)</blockquote>Dushyanta, while on a hunting trip visits the Kanva ashram one day. There, he comes across an exquisitely beautiful Shakuntala and is immediately attracted to her beauty. Dushyanta had never seen a maiden of such grace, charm and beauty. He comes to know that she is a hermit girl. Realizing that he has lost his heart to her, he is intrigued by the thought as to how he can fall in love with a sage's daughter. He enquires about her and finds out that she is born to Vishwamitra, a Kshatriya, and Menaka and comes to know that she is indeed a Kshatriya-girl. He is elated about the fact that even his heart did not fail him in performing the dharma or the righteous act and since Shakuntala is a Kshatriya-girl, he was not wrong in losing his heart to her. |