आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
भवते*हं ददानीदं भवानेतत् प्रयच्छतु । रुचितो वर्तते धर्मो न बलात् सम्प्रवर्तते
bhavate ’haṃ dadānīdaṃ bhavān etat prayacchatu | rucito vartate dharmo na balāt sampravartate ||
ভীষ্মে ক’লে—‘মই তোমাক এইটো দিছোঁ; তুমি বদলত মোক সেইটো দিয়া’—এইদৰে দুয়োপক্ষৰ ইচ্ছা আৰু সম্মতিত যি বস্তু-বিনিময় হয়, সেয়াই ধৰ্ম। কিন্তু বলপূৰ্বক কৰা বিনিময় ধৰ্ম নহয়।
भीष्म उवाच
A transaction becomes dharma only when it is based on mutual consent and willingness; coercion cannot produce a righteous or lawful exchange.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma in the Shanti Parva, he defines a fair exchange: one party offers something and the other reciprocates, but the legitimacy of the exchange depends on both parties’ voluntary agreement rather than force.