आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
अन्न ते वर्तयिष्यामि यथा धर्म: सनातन: । व्यवहारप्रवृत्तानां तन्निबोध युधिष्ठिर
anna te vartayiṣyāmi yathā dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ | vyavahāra-pravṛttānāṃ tan nibodha yudhiṣṭhira ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Ich werde dir, o Yudhishthira, die ewige Dharma darlegen, wie sie seit langer Zeit aufrechterhalten wird — besonders für jene, die in weltliche Geschäfte und gesellschaftliches Verhalten eingebunden sind. Höre zu und begreife es recht.“
भीष्म उवाच
Bhishma frames his instruction as an exposition of sanātana-dharma—an enduring moral and social order—specifically tailored to people involved in practical affairs (vyavahāra), implying that righteousness must guide everyday transactions, governance, and social interaction.
In the Shanti Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma continues advising King Yudhishthira after the war, introducing a section on the traditional standards of conduct and justice relevant to ordinary social and legal dealings.