Shloka 26
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
ये तत्र युद्ध कुर्वन्ति त्यक्त्वा जीवितमात्मन: । ब्राह्मणान् परिरक्षन्तो धर्ममात्मानमेव च
bhīṣma uvāca | ye tatra yuddha kurvanti tyaktvā jīvitam ātmanaḥ | brāhmaṇān parirakṣanto dharmam ātmānam eva ca ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Aqueles que, numa crise assim, deixam de lado a preocupação com a própria vida e lutam—protegendo os brāhmaṇas, salvaguardando o dharma e defendendo a si mesmos—alcançam uma fama pura que se espalha em todas as direções. Pois, quando a proteção dos brāhmaṇas e do dharma está em jogo, empunhar armas contra os perversos torna-se um dever legítimo.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma and the safety of Brahmins (as custodians of learning and ritual order) are threatened, self-sacrificing resistance against the wicked is praised; such defense is presented as a legitimate, even obligatory, use of force in the service of dharma.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on governance and dharma. Here he describes a time of social and moral breakdown and commends those who, without clinging to their own lives, fight to protect Brahmins, uphold dharma, and secure the community’s moral order.