As we go through a global pandemic which demands a major change in our lifestyle and which will have a major impact on the economy, it is a good time to remember a conversation in the Mahabharata, where Bhishma tells the Pandavas, about Apaddharma, or dharma during crisis.

In the Shatapatha Brahmana, dharma is defined as a state of being that reverses the jungle law. In the jungle, might is right; but, in a civilised society, the mighty take care of the weak. In the dharma-shastras, this principle is operationalised using the varna-ashrama guidelines.