Shloka 26
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
ये तत्र युद्ध कुर्वन्ति त्यक्त्वा जीवितमात्मन: । ब्राह्मणान् परिरक्षन्तो धर्ममात्मानमेव च,जब ब्राह्मणकी शक्ति मन्द पड़ जाय, क्षत्रियका पराक्रम भी दुर्बल हो जाय और सभी वर्णोंके लोग सर्वथा ब्राह्मणोंसे दुर्भाव रखने लगें, उस समय जो लोग ब्राह्मणोंकी, धर्मकी तथा अपने आपकी रक्षाके लिये प्राणोंकी परवा न करके दुष्टोंके साथ क्रोधपूर्वक युद्ध करते हैं, उन मनस्वी पुरुषोंका पवित्र यश सब ओर फैल जाता है; क्योंकि ब्राह्मणोंकी रक्षाके लिये सबको शस्त्र ग्रहण करनेका अधिकार है
bhīṣma uvāca | ye tatra yuddha kurvanti tyaktvā jīvitam ātmanaḥ | brāhmaṇān parirakṣanto dharmam ātmānam eva ca ||
Bhīṣma said: “Those who, in such a crisis, cast aside concern for their own lives and fight—protecting the brāhmaṇas, safeguarding dharma, and defending their very selves—win a pure fame that spreads in all directions. For when the protection of brāhmaṇas and dharma is at stake, taking up arms against the wicked becomes a rightful duty.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma and the safety of Brahmins (as custodians of learning and ritual order) are threatened, self-sacrificing resistance against the wicked is praised; such defense is presented as a legitimate, even obligatory, use of force in the service of dharma.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on governance and dharma. Here he describes a time of social and moral breakdown and commends those who, without clinging to their own lives, fight to protect Brahmins, uphold dharma, and secure the community’s moral order.