Shloka 11
Prāyaścitta-vidhāna: Tapas, Dāna, Vrata, and Proportional Expiation (प्रायश्चित्तविधानम्)
स एव धर्म: सो<धर्मो देशकाले प्रतिष्ठित: । आदानमनृतं हिंसा धर्मो ह्यावस्थिक: स्मृत:
sa eva dharmaḥ so 'dharmaḥ deśa-kāle pratiṣṭhitaḥ | ādānam anṛtaṃ hiṃsā dharmo hy āvasthikaḥ smṛtaḥ ||
毗耶娑说道：“同一行为，因其所处之地与其发生之时而异，或为法（dharma），或为非法（adharma）。取未予之物、妄语，乃至施行暴力——虽通常受谴——在某些特定情势下，却被记为合乎法。”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not always a fixed label attached to an action; the same deed can be righteous or unrighteous depending on deśa (place), kāla (time), and āvasthā (circumstance). Hence even acts normally classed as wrong—taking, lying, or violence—may become duty in exceptional conditions (especially in crisis or governance contexts).
In the Shānti Parva’s instruction on conduct and governance, Vyāsa articulates a principle of contextual judgment: moral evaluation must consider circumstance. This frames later discussions on emergency duty (āpaddharma) and the hard choices faced by rulers and protectors of society.