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 ||
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ದೇಶ-ಕಾಲದ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಗಳ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಅಧರ್ಮವೇ ಧರ್ಮವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ, ಧರ್ಮವೂ ಅಧರ್ಮರೂಪಕ್ಕೆ ತಿರುಗುತ್ತದೆ; ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ನಿರ್ಣಯವನ್ನು ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸುವುದು ಆ ದೇಶ-ಕಾಲದ ಸ್ವಭಾವವೇ.
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.