Shloka 8
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
बकरा अग्निस्वरूप, भेड़ वरुणस्वरूप, घोड़ा सूर्यस्वरूप, पृथ्वी विराट्स्वरूप तथा गौ यज्ञ और सोमका स्वरूप है; अतः इनका विक्रय कभी किसी तरह नहीं करना चाहिये। भरतनन्दन! ब्राह्मणके लिये बनी-बनायी रसोई देकर बदलेमें कच्चा अन्न लेनेकी साधुपुरुष प्रशंसा नहीं करते हैं; किंतु केवल भोजनके लिये कच्चा अन्न देकर उसके बदले पका- पकाया अन्न ले सकते हैं ।। वयं सिद्धमशिष्यामो भवान् साधयतामिदम् । एवं संवीक्ष्य निमयेन्नाधर्मोडस्ति कथंचन,“हम लोग बनी-बनायी रसोई पाकर भोजन कर लेंगे। आप यह कच्चा अन्न लेकर इसे पकाइये' इस भावसे अच्छी तरह विचार करके यदि कच्चे अन्नसे पके-पकाये अन्नको बदल लिया जाय तो इसमें किसी प्रकार भी अधर्म नहीं होता
bakaro 'gnisvarūpaḥ, meṣo varuṇasvarūpaḥ, aśvaḥ sūryasvarūpaḥ, pṛthivī virāṭsvarūpā tathā gauḥ yajñasya somasya ca svarūpam; ata etānāṃ vikrayaḥ kadācana kathaṃcid api na kartavyaḥ. bharatanandana! brāhmaṇārthaṃ kṛtāṃ siddhāṃ rasoīṃ dattvā badale kaccānnaṃ grahaṇaṃ sādhavaḥ na praśaṃsanti; kintu kevala-bhojanārthaṃ kaccānnaṃ dattvā tasya badale pakvaṃ siddham annaṃ gṛhṇīyāt. vayaṃ siddham aśīṣyāmaḥ, bhavān sādhayatām idam—evaṃ saṃvīkṣya nimayen nādharmo 'sti kathaṃcana.
Bhishma disse: “O bode encarna Agni, a ovelha encarna Varuṇa, o cavalo encarna o Sol, a terra encarna o Virāṭ, e a vaca encarna o sacrifício e Soma; por isso, a venda desses seres jamais deve ser empreendida, de modo algum. Ó deleite dos Bharatas! Os homens bons não louvam a prática de dar uma refeição já preparada, destinada a um brāhmaṇa, e receber grão cru em troca; contudo, quando é apenas por alimento, pode-se dar grão cru e receber comida cozida em retorno. ‘Nós comeremos o que já está pronto; toma este grão cru e cozinha-o’—se a troca é feita após cuidadosa consideração nesse espírito, não há nela qualquer injustiça (adharma).”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Certain beings and supports of ritual life (especially the cow, and also animals and earth linked with deities) are treated as sacral embodiments and therefore should not be commodified through sale. In matters of food, an exchange is judged by intention and context: exploiting a Brāhmaṇa’s prepared meal for profit is censured, but exchanging raw grain for cooked food purely to eat is permitted and not adharma.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhīṣma answers Yudhiṣṭhira’s queries about proper livelihood and exchange. He lays down a rule against selling certain sacral entities and then clarifies a practical case: when one party says, ‘We will eat the prepared food; you take the raw grain and cook it,’ such a carefully considered barter is ethically acceptable.