Shloka 35
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
युधिछिर उवाच अभ्युत्थिते दस्युबले क्षत्रार्थे वर्णसंकरे । सम्प्रमूढेषु वर्णेषु यद्यन्योडभि भवेद् बली
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | abhyutthite dasyu-bale kṣatrārthe varṇa-saṅkare | sampramūḍheṣu varṇeṣu yady anyo 'pi bhaved balī ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „O Großvater, o bester der Könige! Wenn Räuberbanden an Macht gewinnen, wenn die soziale Ordnung durch Vermischung der Stände in Verwirrung gerät und wenn die Schutzpflicht, die eigentlich dem Kṣatriya zukommt, nicht wirksam erfüllt werden kann, weil alle Ordnungen ratlos sind—was dann, wenn in einer solchen Krise auch ein anderer (selbst aus einer anderen Varṇa) stark und fähig ist? Darf er den Strafstab ergreifen, um das Dharma zu wahren und das Volk vor Plünderung zu retten, indem er die Arbeit königlicher Herrschaft verrichtet; oder soll man ihn davon abhalten?“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical problem in rājadharma: when the rightful protectors (kṣatriyas) cannot maintain order and society is confused, can a capable person from another varṇa assume coercive authority (daṇḍa) to protect people and uphold dharma? It highlights that protection of the vulnerable and preservation of order may become the overriding duty in exceptional crises.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue on governance and duty, Yudhiṣṭhira asks Bhīṣma about an emergency scenario: robbers grow powerful and the social orders are disoriented, so the normal machinery of kṣatriya protection fails. He asks whether a strong person from another varṇa may step in to punish wrongdoers and protect the populace, effectively performing royal functions.