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 ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Yaong mga, sa gayong krisis, ay isinasantabi ang pag-aalala sa sariling buhay at nakikipaglaban—iniingatan ang mga Brahmin, pinangangalagaan ang dharma, at ipinagtatanggol ang sarili—ay nagkakamit ng dalisay na katanyagan na kumakalat sa lahat ng dako. Sapagkat kapag nakataya ang pag-iingat sa mga Brahmin at sa dharma, ang paghawak ng sandata laban sa masasama ay isang wastong tungkulin.”
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.