Shloka 2

आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः

Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच अशक्ति: क्षत्रधर्मेण वैश्यधर्मेण वर्तयेत्‌ । कृषिगोरक्ष्यमास्थाय व्यसने वृत्तिसंक्षये

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca aśaktiḥ kṣatradharmeṇa vaiśyadharmeṇa vartayet | kṛṣigorakṣyam āsthāya vyasane vṛttisaṃkṣaye ||

Translation

பீஷ்மன் கூறினான்—க்ஷத்திரிய தர்மத்தின் வழி வாழ இயலாதவன் வைசிய தர்மத்தைப் பின்பற்றி வாழ வேண்டும். பேரிடரில், வழக்கமான வாழ்வாதாரம் குறைந்துவிட்டால், விவசாயமும் மாடுகளைப் பாதுகாத்து பராமரிப்பதும் (கோ-ரக்ஷை) ஆகியவற்றைத் தாங்கி வாழ வேண்டும்.

Word by Word

भीष्मःBhishma

उवाचsaid

अशक्तिःone who is unable / incapacity

क्षत्रधर्मेणby/through the Kshatriya duty

वैश्यधर्मेणby/through the Vaishya duty

वर्तयेत्should maintain oneself / should live

कृषिagriculture

गोरक्ष्यम्cow-protection / tending cattle

आस्थायhaving resorted to / adopting

व्यसनेin calamity / in distress

वृत्तिसंक्षयेwhen livelihood is exhausted / in the loss of means of living

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

In adversity (āpaddharma), if a person cannot uphold their customary kshatriya duties, they may ethically adopt vaishya means—especially agriculture and cattle-tending—to preserve life and social stability without abandoning dharma altogether.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is instructing on practical dharma for difficult times, outlining permissible occupational shifts: a kshatriya who is unable to follow the warrior’s path may temporarily sustain himself through vaishya livelihoods when normal income or duty-based livelihood has declined.