Shloka 32
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
भवत्यथधर्मो धर्मो हि धर्माधर्मावुभावपि । कारणाद् देशकालस्य देशकाल: स तादृश:,देश-कालकी परिस्थितिके कारण कभी अधर्म तो धर्म हो जाता है और धर्म अधर्मरूपमें परिणत हो जाता है; क्योंकि वह वैसा ही देश काल है
bhavaty atha dharmo dharmo hi dharmādharmāv ubhāv api | kāraṇād deśakālasya deśakālaḥ sa tādṛśaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: Apa yang disebut dharma, dalam keadaan tertentu, dapat menjadi adharma; dan apa yang disebut adharma, dalam keadaan tertentu, dapat mengambil sifat dharma. Perubahan ini terjadi karena penentuannya bergantung pada tempat dan waktu—sebagaimana keadaan tempat dan waktu itu adanya.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that moral judgment is not always a fixed label: the same act may be dharma or adharma depending on deśa (place) and kāla (time/circumstance). Therefore, ethical discernment must consider context rather than relying only on rigid categories.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is advising Yudhishthira on how to evaluate right conduct. He emphasizes that circumstances of place and time can alter how an action should be classified and judged.