Shloka 10
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
भवते*हं ददानीदं भवानेतत् प्रयच्छतु । रुचितो वर्तते धर्मो न बलात् सम्प्रवर्तते
bhavate ’haṃ dadānīdaṃ bhavān etat prayacchatu | rucito vartate dharmo na balāt sampravartate ||
Bhishma dijo: «“Yo te doy esto; tú, a cambio, dame aquello.” Cuando el intercambio de bienes se realiza por el agrado y el consentimiento mutuo de ambas partes, se lo considera dharma (una transacción justa). Pero si tal intercambio se impone por la fuerza, no es dharma.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A transaction becomes dharma only when it is based on mutual consent and willingness; coercion cannot produce a righteous or lawful exchange.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma in the Shanti Parva, he defines a fair exchange: one party offers something and the other reciprocates, but the legitimacy of the exchange depends on both parties’ voluntary agreement rather than force.