Shloka 11
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
स एव धर्म: सो<धर्मो देशकाले प्रतिष्ठित: । आदानमनृतं हिंसा धर्मो ह्यावस्थिक: स्मृत:,“एक ही क्रिया देश और कालके भेदसे धर्म या अधर्म हो जाती है! चोरी करना, झूठ बोलना एवं हिंसा करना आदि अधर्म भी अवस्थाविशेषमें धर्म माने गये हैं
sa eva dharmaḥ so 'dharmaḥ deśa-kāle pratiṣṭhitaḥ | ādānam anṛtaṃ hiṃsā dharmo hy āvasthikaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
Vyāsa dijo: «El mismo acto puede volverse dharma o adharma según el lugar y el tiempo en que se halle situado. Tomar lo no dado, decir falsedad e incluso la violencia—aunque por lo general se condenan—son recordados como dharma cuando se realizan en circunstancias particulares».
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not always a fixed label attached to an action; the same deed can be righteous or unrighteous depending on deśa (place), kāla (time), and āvasthā (circumstance). Hence even acts normally classed as wrong—taking, lying, or violence—may become duty in exceptional conditions (especially in crisis or governance contexts).
In the Shānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and governance, Vyāsa articulates a principle of contextual judgment: moral evaluation must consider circumstance. This frames later discussions on emergency duty (āpaddharma) and the hard choices faced by rulers and protectors of society.