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 ||
ਯੁਧਿਸ਼ਠਿਰ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਜਦੋਂ ਧਰਤੀ ਉੱਤੇ ਜੀਵਨ-ਨਿਰਵਾਹ ਦੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਸਾਧਨ ਦੱਸੂਆਂ ਤੇ ਲੁਟੇਰਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਵੱਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੋ ਜਾਣ, ਅਤੇ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਅਧਮ ਸਮਾਂ ਆ ਪਹੁੰਚੇ—ਤਾਂ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣ ਕਿਹੜੇ ਢੰਗ ਨਾਲ ਜੀਊਂਦਾ ਰਹੇ?
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.