Shloka 1
आपद्धर्मे वैश्यवृत्तिः, विक्रय-निषेधाः, तथा ब्रह्म-क्षत्र-सम्बन्धः
Emergency Livelihood, Prohibited Trade, and Brahman–Kshatra Regulation
ऑपन- मा छा ्-ज::अ अष्टसप्ततितमो< ध्याय: आपपत्तिकालनमें ब्राह्मणके लिये वैश्यवृत्तिसे निर्वाह करनेकी छूट तथा लुटेरोंसे अपनी और दूसरोंकी रक्षा करनेके लिये सभी जातियोंको शस्त्र धारण करनेका अधिकार एवं रक्षकको सम्मानका पात्र स्वीकार करना युधिछिर उवाच व्याख्याता राजधर्मेण वृत्तिरापत्सु भारत । कथं स्विद् वैश्यधर्मेण संजीवेद् ब्राह्मणो न वा
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | rājadharmeṇa vṛttir āpatsu bhārata | kathaṃ svid vaiśyadharmeṇa saṃjīved brāhmaṇo na vā ||
尤提施提罗说道：“噢，婆罗多啊，你已阐明：在灾厄之时，婆罗门可以依王者之职（刹帝利之法）而求生。那么，婆罗门又当如何依毗舍之法与其生计而活——他能如此，还是不能？”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an inquiry into āpaddharma: when normal varṇa-based duties cannot be maintained due to crisis, what alternative livelihoods are ethically permitted—specifically, whether a Brahmin may adopt Vaiśya means (commerce/agriculture) in addition to the already-discussed Kṣatriya-associated means.
During the Śānti Parva discourse on dharma, Yudhiṣṭhira continues questioning the elder authority (addressed as ‘Bhārata’) about emergency conduct. Having heard that a Brahmin may survive by royal/Kṣatriya-type livelihood in distress, he now asks whether survival through Vaiśya-type livelihood is also allowable.