Shloka 16
Śuka’s Nirveda: Vyāsa’s Admonition on Dharma, Impermanence, and ‘Imperishable Wealth’ (अक्षय-धन)
स एव धर्म: सो<धर्मस्तं तं प्रति नरं भवेत् । पात्रकर्मविशेषेण देशकालाववेक्ष्य च,देश, काल, पात्र और कर्मविशेषपर विचार करनेसे एक ही कर्म भिन्न-भिन्न मनुष्यके लिये धर्म और अधर्मरूप हो जाता है
sa eva dharmaḥ so 'dharmaḥ taṃ taṃ prati naraṃ bhavet | pātra-karma-viśeṣeṇa deśa-kālāv avekṣya ca ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: Un mismo acto puede volverse, para este hombre o para aquel, dharma o adharma, según quién lo realice y la particularidad de la acción, y tras considerar el lugar y el tiempo.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that the moral status of an action is context-sensitive: the same deed can be dharma for one person and adharma for another when judged by qualification (pātra), the specific nature of the act (karma-viśeṣa), and the circumstances of place and time (deśa-kāla).
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous living after the war, Bhīṣma is advising Yudhiṣṭhira on how to discern dharma. He emphasizes that ethical decisions require situational judgment rather than rigid, one-size-fits-all rules.