"Yudhishthira said, 'It has been said that in seasons of distress a
Brahmana may support himself by the practice of Kshatriya duties. Can he,
however, at any time, support himself by the practice of the duties laid
down for the Vaisyas?'
"Bhishma said, 'When a Brahmana loses his means of support and falls into
distress, he may certainly betake himself to the practices of a Vaisya
and derive his support by agriculture and keeping cattle, if, of course,
he is incompetent for Kshatriya duties.'
"Yudhishthira said, 'If a Brahmana, O bull of Bharata's race, betakes
himself to the duties of a Vaisya, what articles may he sell without
losing his prospect of heaven?'
"Bhishma said, 'Wines, salt, sesamum seeds, animals having manes, bulls,
honey, meat, and cooked food, O Yudhishthira, under all circumstances, a
Brahmana should avoid. A Brahmana, by selling these, would sink into
hell. A Brahmana, by selling a goat, incurs the sin of selling the god of
fire; by selling a sheep, the sin of selling the god of water; by selling
a horse, the sin of selling the god of the sun; by selling cooked food,
the sin of selling land; and by selling a cow, the sin of selling
sacrifice and the Soma juice. These, therefore, should not be sold (by a
Brahmana). They that are good do not applaud the purchase of uncooked
food by giving cooked food in exchange. Uncooked food, however, may be
given for procuring cooked food, O Bharata! 'We will eat this cooked
food of thine. Thou mayst cook these raw things (that we give in
exchange).'—In a compact of this kind there is no sin. Listen, O
Yudhishthira, I shall speak to thee of the eternal practice, existing
from days of old, of persons conducting themselves according to approved
usages. 'I give thee this. Give me this other thing in return.' Exchange
by such agreement is righteous. To take things by force, however, is
sinful. Even such is the course of the usage followed by the Rishis and
others. Without doubt, this is righteous.'
"Yudhishthira said, 'When, O sire, all the orders, giving up their
respective duties, take up arms against the king, then, of course, the
power of the king decreases.—By what means should the king then become
the protector and refuge of the people? Resolve this doubt of mine, O
king, by speaking to me in detail.'
"Bhishma said, 'By gifts, by penances, by sacrifices, by peacefulness,
and by self-restraint, all the orders headed by the Brahmanas should, on
such occasions, seek their own good. Those amongst them that are endued
with Vedic strength, should rise up on every side and like the gods
strengthening Indra contribute (by Vedic rites) to enhancing the strength
of the king. Brahmanas are said to be the refuge of the king while his
power suffers decay. A wise king seeks the enhancement of his power by
means of the power of the Brahmanas. When the king, crowned with victory,
seeks the re-establishment of peace, all the orders then betake
themselves to their respective duties. When robbers, breaking through all
restraints, spread devastation around, all the orders may take up arms.
By so doing they incur no sin, O Yudhishthira!'
"Yudhishthira said, 'If all the Kshatriyas become hostile towards the
Brahmanas, who then will protect the Brahmanas and their Vedas? What then
should be the duty of the Brahmanas and who will be their refuge?'
"Bhishma said, 'By penances, by Brahmacharya, by weapons, and by
(physical) might, applied with or without the aid of deceit, the
Kshatriyas should be subjugated. If the Kshatriya misconducts himself,
especially towards Brahmanas, the Vedas themselves will subjugate them.
The Kshatriyas have sprung from the Brahmanas. Fire has sprung from
water; the Kshatriya from the Brahmana; and iron from stone. The energy
of fire, the Kshatriya, and iron, are irresistible. But when these come
into contact with the sources of their origin, their force becomes
neutralised. When iron strikes stone, or fire battles with water, or the
Kshatriya becomes hostile to the Brahmana, then the strength of each of
those three becomes destroyed. Thus, O Yudhishthira, the energy and
might, howsoever great and irresistible, of Kshatriyas become quelled as
soon as they are directed against the Brahmanas. When the energy of the
Brahmanas becomes mild, when Kshatriya energy becomes weak, when all men
misbehave themselves towards the Brahmanas, they that engage in battle
then, casting off all fear of death, for protecting the Brahmanas,
morality, and their own selves,—those persons, moved by righteous
indignation and possessed of great strength of mind, succeed in winning
high regions of bliss hereafter. All persons should take up arms for the
sake of Brahmanas. Those brave persons that fight for Brahmanas attain to
those felicitous region in heaven that are reserved for persons that have
always studied the Vedas with attention, that have performed the
austerest of penances, and that have, after fasting, cast off their
bodies into blazing fires. The Brahmana, by taking up arms for the three
orders, does not incur sin. People say that there is no higher duty than
casting off life under such circumstances. I bow to them and blessed be
they that thus lay down their lives in seeking to chastise the enemies of
Brahmanas. Let us attain to that region which is intended for them. Manu
himself has said that those heroes repair to the region of Brahman. As
persons become cleansed of all their sins by undergoing the final bath on
a horse-sacrifice even so they that die at the edge of weapons while
fighting wicked people, become cleansed of their sins. Righteousness
becomes unrighteousness, and unrighteousness becomes righteousness,
according to place and time. Such is the power of place and time (in
determining the character of human acts). The friends of humanity, by
doing even acts of cruelty, have attained to high heaven. Righteous
Kshatriyas, by doing even sinful acts, have attained to blessed
ends. The Brahmana, by taking up arms on these three occasions, does
not incur sin, viz., for protecting himself, for compelling the other
orders to betake themselves to their duties, and for chastising robbers.'
"Yudhishthira said, 'If when robbers raise their heads and an
inter-mixture of the orders begins to take place in consequence of
confusion, and Kshatriyas become incompetent, some powerful person other
than a Kshatriya seeks to subdue those robbers for the sake of protecting
the people, indeed, O best of kings, if that powerful person happens
to be a Brahmana or a Vaisya or a Sudra, and if he succeeds in protecting
the people by righteously wielding the rod of chastisement is he
justified in doing what he does or is he restrained by the ordinances
from accomplishing that duty? It seems that others, when the Kshatriyas
prove so wretched, should take up weapons.'
"Bhishma said, 'Be he a Sudra or be he the member of any other orders, he
that becomes a raft on a raftless current, or a means of crossing where
means there are none, certainly deserves respect in every way. That
person, O king, relying upon whom helpless men, oppressed and made
miserable by robbers, live happily, deserve to be lovingly worshipped by
all as if he were a near kinsman. The person, O thou of Kuru's race, that
dispels the fears of others, always deserves respect. What use is there
of bulls that would not bear burthens, or of kine that would not yield
milk, or of a wife that is barren? Similarly, what need is there for a
king that is not competent to grant protection? As an elephant made of
wood, or a deer made of leather, as a person without wealth, or one that
is a eunuch, or a field that is sterile, even so is a Brahmana that is
void of Vedic lore and a king incapable of granting protection? Both of
them are like a cloud that does not pour rain. That person who always
protects the good and restrains the wicked deserves to become a king and
to govern the world.'"
