Shloka 7
Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)
राज्ञा राजैव योद्धव्यस्तथा धर्मो विधीयते । नान्यो राजानमभ्यस्थेदराजन्य: कथउ्चन
rājñā rājaiva yoddhavyas tathā dharmo vidhīyate | nānyo rājānam abhyasthed arājanyaḥ kathaṃcana ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Ein König soll nur von einem König bekämpft werden; so ist die Regel des Dharma festgesetzt. Niemand, der nicht dem königlichen Kriegerstand (kṣatriya) angehört—weder ein Nicht‑König noch ein Nicht‑Prinz—darf unter irgendeinem Umstand einen König mit Waffen angreifen.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma states a rule of righteous warfare: combat against a king is properly undertaken only by another king (i.e., by rightful royal-kṣatriya peers). Those outside that status should not strike a king with weapons, emphasizing restraint, hierarchy, and regulated violence.
In Śānti Parva’s instruction on dharma and governance, Bhīṣma lays down norms for royal conduct and warfare. Here he specifies who is entitled to engage a king in battle, framing it as a prescribed dharmic rule.