Shloka 1
Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)
अपन बछ। है २ >> षण्णवतितमो< ध्याय: राजाके छलरहित धर्मयुक्त बर्तावकी प्रशंसा भीष्म उवाच नाधर्मेण महीं जेतुं लिप्सेत जगतीपति: । अधर्मविजयं लब्ध्वा को नु मन्येत भूमिप:
bhīṣma uvāca | nādharmeṇa mahīṃ jetuṃ lipseta jagatīpatiḥ | adharmavijayaṃ labdhvā ko nu manyeta bhūmipaḥ ||
Bhīṣma sprach: O Yudhiṣṭhira, ein Herrscher, der Verantwortung für die Welt trägt, soll niemals begehren, die Erde durch Unrecht zu erobern. Denn wer durch Adharma siegt—welcher König könnte dann wahrhaft als ehrenhaft und der Achtung würdig gelten?
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that political success must be grounded in dharma: conquest or governance achieved through adharma lacks moral legitimacy, and such a victor cannot be truly honored as a rightful king.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on rajadharma after the war. Here he begins by warning that a ruler should not seek dominion through unrighteous methods, because an unjust victory undermines a king’s reputation and rightful standing.