Shloka 25
Kośa, Bala, and Maryādā: Treasury, Capacity, and Enforceable Limits (कोश-बल-मर्यादा)
आपदगतेन धर्माणामन्यायेनोपजीवनम् । अपि होतद् ब्राह्माणेषु दृष्ट॑ वृत्तिपरिक्षये
āpadgatena dharmāṇām anyāyenopajīvanam | api hotad brāhmaṇeṣu dṛṣṭaṁ vṛttiparikṣaye ||
Бхишма сказал: «Когда человек пал в бедствие, ему дозволено поддерживать жизнь даже средствами, противными обычным мерилам дхармы. И впрямь, когда пропитание иссякало, подобное чрезвычайное поведение наблюдалось даже среди брахманов».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In extreme distress (āpaddharma), preserving life can justify actions that would normally be considered contrary to dharma; ethical rules are applied with context, and emergency exceptions are acknowledged even for those held to high standards such as brāhmaṇas.
Bhīṣma, instructing on dharma in the Śānti Parva, explains to the listener that during times of calamity the strict norms of conduct may be relaxed, citing observed precedent among brāhmaṇas when their usual means of livelihood are exhausted.