Shloka 16
Adhyāya 166: Kṛtaghna-doṣa (कृतघ्नदोषः) — the fault of ingratitude and the limits of expiation
विज्वैदेवैश्व साध्यैश्न ब्राह्मणैश्व महर्षिभि: । आपत्सु मरणाद् भीतैर्विधि: प्रतिनिधीकृत:
viśvaidevaiś ca sādhyaiś ca brāhmaṇaiś ca maharṣibhiḥ | āpatsu maraṇād bhītair vidhiḥ pratinidhīkṛtaḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Even the Viśvedevas and the Sādhyas, along with Brahmins and great seers, when gripped by fear of death in times of calamity, established the principle of substitution—appointing a representative alternative for each prescribed rule—so that dharma may be preserved when strict observance becomes impossible.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In emergencies (āpatsu), dharma allows regulated substitution (pratinidhi) for strict rules (vidhi), so that the spirit and continuity of dharma are maintained when literal performance is not feasible.
Bhishma is explaining principles of āpaddharma in the Śānti Parva, citing even divine and sage authorities (Viśvedevas, Sādhyas, Brahmins, Maharṣis) as having sanctioned representative substitutes for prescribed acts under life-threatening distress.