Shloka 63
येन येन विशेषण कर्मणा येन केनचित् | अभ्युज्जीवेत् साद्यमान: समर्थों धर्ममाचरेत्,“जो भूखों मर रहा हो, वह जिस-जिस उपायसे अथवा जिस किसी भी कर्मसे सम्भव हो, अपने जीवनकी रक्षा करे, फिर समर्थ होनेपर वह धर्मका आचरण कर सकता है
yena yena viśeṣeṇa karmaṇā yena kenacit | abhyujjīvet sādyamānaḥ samartho dharmam ācaret ||
Sinabi niya: “Kapag ang isang tao ay itinutulak ng gutom hanggang sa bingit ng kamatayan, dapat niyang ingatan ang buhay sa anumang natatanging paraan, sa anumang gawaing maaari. Kapag naibalik na niya ang lakas at katatagan upang mabuhay, saka pa lamang niya maisasagawa ang dharma.”
घपच उवाच
Educational Q&A
In extreme distress (especially life-threatening hunger), preserving life takes priority; once safety and capacity return, one should resume the normal practice of dharma. This reflects the Mahabharata’s apaddharma principle—ethics adapted to emergency conditions.
Within the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, the speaker states a rule for crisis situations: a starving person may use any workable means to stay alive, and only after becoming capable again should he return to regular dharmic observance.