Shloka 2

Devanagari script

भीष्म उवाच अशक्ति: क्षत्रधर्मेण वैश्यधर्मेण वर्तयेत्‌ । कृषिगोरक्ष्यमास्थाय व्यसने वृत्तिसंक्षये

Transliteration

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

Translation

بھیشم نے کہا—جو شخص کشَتریہ دھرم کے مطابق گزر بسر کرنے کی طاقت نہ رکھے، وہ ویشیہ دھرم کے مطابق برتاؤ کر کے زندگی گزارے۔ مصیبت کے وقت، جب معمول کی روزی گھٹ جائے، تو کھیتی اور گاؤ-رکشا (مویشی پالنا) کا سہارا لے کر گذارہ کرے۔

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.