Shloka 6
Śaraṇāgata-Atithi-Dharma in the Kapota Narrative (कपोत-आख्यानम्—शरणागतधर्मः)
सर्वस्मिन् दस्युसाद् भूते पृथिव्यामुपजीवने । केनस्विद् ब्राह्म॒णो जीवेज्जघन्ये काल आगते
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | sarvasmin dasyu-sād bhūte pṛthivyām upajīvane | kena svid brāhmaṇo jīvej jaghanye kāla āgate ||
युधिष्ठिर बोले—जब पृथ्वी पर जीविका के सब साधन दस्युओं के वश में हो जाएँ, और ऐसा अत्यन्त अधम समय आ पहुँचे—तब ब्राह्मण किस उपाय से जीवित रहे?
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical dilemma: when society collapses into lawlessness and the economy is dominated by predation, even those committed to dharma (here, the brāhmaṇa) must ask what legitimate means of survival remain. It introduces a discussion on permissible conduct and adaptive duty (āpaddharma) in extreme conditions.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira raises a practical question about survival during a time of widespread disorder—when bandits control livelihoods. He seeks guidance on how a brāhmaṇa should maintain life when normal social and moral structures have broken down.