Shloka 39
सामर्थ्ये सति तत् त्याज्यम् उभाभ्याम् अपि पार्थिव तद् एवापदि कर्तव्यं न कुर्यात् कर्मसंकरम्
sāmarthye sati tat tyājyam ubhābhyām api pārthiva tad evāpadi kartavyaṃ na kuryāt karmasaṃkaram
O king, when one has the capacity, that course should be relinquished by both; but in times of distress, that very course may be undertaken. Let no one create a confusion of duties—do not generate a disorderly mixture of actions that undermines dharma.
Sage Parāśara (in instruction to Maitreya; framed as guidance addressing a kingly listener, 'pārthiva')
Concept: Emergency permissions are temporary; when capacity returns, one must revert to one’s proper duty, avoiding karmasaṅkara that destabilizes dharma.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use ‘exception rules’ only as long as necessity lasts; afterward, restore normal commitments and prevent role-confusion in family and society.
Vishishtadvaita: Dharma is an expression of the Lord’s sustaining order (niyati); preserving clarity of duty supports the cosmos as His body, while confusion harms collective flourishing.
Bhakti Type: Shanta
FAQs
This verse states that certain actions are normally to be avoided when one is capable of following the standard rule, but may become permissible in emergencies—without collapsing the overall framework of dharma.
He cautions that even when exceptions exist for crisis, one should not turn them into habitual practice; mixing or confusing duties erodes social and spiritual order.
The verse aligns ethical flexibility with the preservation of cosmic and social order—an order ultimately sustained by Vishnu as the Supreme regulator of dharma.