Shloka 19
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
युधिछिर उवाच अथ चेत् सर्वतः क्षत्रं प्रदुष्येद् ब्राह्मणं प्रति । कस्तस्य ब्राह्मणस्त्राता को धर्म: कि परायणम्,युधिष्ठिरने पूछा--पितामह! यदि क्षत्रिय जाति ही सब ओससे ब्राह्मणोंके साथ दुर्व्यवहार करने लगे, उस समय उस ब्राह्मणकुलकी रक्षा कौन ब्राह्मण कर सकता है? उनके लिये कौन-सा धर्म (कर्तव्य) है तथा कौन-सा महान् आश्रय?
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | atha cet sarvataḥ kṣatraṁ praduṣyed brāhmaṇaṁ prati | kas tasya brāhmaṇas trātā ko dharmaḥ kiṁ parāyaṇam ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «يا بيتامها، إن فسد نظام الكشاتريا من كل جانب وصار معادياً للبراهمة، فمن يكون حامي ذلك البراهمي؟ وأيّ دارما (واجب) تبقى له، وأيّ ملجأٍ أعلى ينبغي أن يتخذه؟»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-crisis: when the very institution meant to protect society (kṣatra/royal power) becomes unjust toward the custodians of learning and ritual (brāhmaṇas), one must ask where protection and moral authority can be found, and what ‘ultimate refuge’ remains. It introduces the Shānti Parva’s inquiry into dharma beyond mere force—grounding legitimacy in righteousness rather than power.
In the Shānti Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma about governance and dharma after the war. Here he poses a hypothetical but urgent scenario: if kṣatriyas everywhere persecute brāhmaṇas, who can protect them, what should they do, and what is their highest recourse—setting up Bhīṣma’s subsequent guidance on duty and refuge amid societal breakdown.