Shloka 14

Devanagari script

अन्यो धर्म: समर्थानामापत्स्वन्यक्षु भारत । प्राकुकोशात्‌ प्राप्यते धर्मो वृत्तिर्धर्मादू गरीयसी,भारत! सार्म्थ्यशाली पुरुषोंका धर्म दूसरा है और आपत्तिग्रस्त मनुष्योंका दूसरा। अतः पहले कोशसंग्रह कर लेनेपर राजाके लिये धर्मपालनका अवसर प्राप्त होता है; क्योंकि जीवन-निर्वाहका साधन प्राप्त करना धर्मसे भी बड़ा है

Transliteration

anyo dharmaḥ samarthānām āpatsu anyakṣu bhārata | prāk kośāt prāpyate dharmo vṛttir dharmād garīyasī bhārata ||

Translation

Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Bharata, dharma bagi mereka yang berkemampuan adalah satu, dan dharma bagi mereka yang ditimpa bencana adalah lain. Maka, hanya setelah terlebih dahulu mengukuhkan perbendaharaan, barulah raja benar-benar memperoleh kesempatan menegakkan dharma; kerana dalam keperluan yang mendesak, sarana untuk menyara hidup dan menggerakkan negeri boleh didahulukan daripada dharma.”

Word by Word

• {'anyaḥ': 'other, different', 'dharmaḥ': 'duty

• moral law', 'samarthānām': 'of the capable/competent (persons)', 'āpatsu': 'in calamities, in times of distress', 'anyakṣu': 'different (rules) in other (conditions)

• i.e., dharma varies by circumstance', 'bhārata': 'O Bharata (address to Yudhiṣṭhira)', 'prāk': 'first, beforehand', 'kośāt / kośa': 'treasury

• stored resources', 'prāpyate': 'is obtained, is attained, becomes available', 'vṛttiḥ': 'livelihood

• practical sustenance', 'dharmāt': 'than dharma

• from dharma (ablative of comparison)', 'garīyasī': 'heavier, weightier, more important'}

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Bharata (Yudhiṣṭhira)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is context-sensitive: in normal conditions the capable should follow higher standards, but in calamity (āpada) different allowances apply. For a king, securing resources (kośa) and ensuring livelihood/maintenance (vṛtti) is a prerequisite for stable dharma-governance; without sustenance and revenue, righteous administration cannot be effectively practiced.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on kingship and ethics, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira (addressed as ‘Bhārata’) about practical governance. He explains that a ruler must first ensure the treasury and the people’s maintenance, especially in crisis, because the functioning of the kingdom and survival needs condition how dharma can be applied.