Shloka 10
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 ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „‚Ich gebe dir dies; du gib mir dafür jenes.‘ Wenn ein Gütertausch nach beiderseitigem Wohlgefallen und Einverständnis geschieht, gilt er als Dharma (als rechtmäßiges, sittliches Geschäft). Wird ein solcher Tausch jedoch durch Zwang erpresst, so ist er nicht Dharma.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.