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 ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—‘मी तुम्हाला हे देतो; तुम्ही त्याबदल्यात मला ते द्या’—असे म्हणत दोघांच्या रुची व संमतीने जो वस्तुविनिमय होतो, तोच धर्म मानला जातो. पण बळजबरीने केलेला विनिमय धर्म नाही.
भीष्म उवाच
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.