Mahabharata — Shanti Parva, Shloka 15
Ānṛśaṃsya, Amātya-Guṇa, and Reconciliatory Counsel (आनृशंस्य–अमात्यगुण–संधि-उपदेशः)
यद्ययं प्रतियुद्धयेत् त्वां स्वकर्म क्षत्रियस्य तत् । जिगीषमाणत्त्वां युद्धे पितृपैतामहे पदे
yady ayaṁ pratiyuddhyeta tvāṁ svakarma kṣatriyasya tat | jigīṣamāṇas tvāṁ yuddhe pitṛpaitāmahe pade ||
Bhishma said: If he were to take up arms against you, that would still be the rightful duty of a kshatriya—fighting with the intent to conquer you in battle for the ancestral and paternal sovereignty. In such a case, the act is not personal malice, but the performance of warrior-dharma directed toward securing inherited kingship.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames armed conflict for ancestral sovereignty as potentially consistent with kshatriya-svakarma: the ethical lens is duty and rightful station, not merely personal hostility.
Bhishma is explaining that if a claimant engages you in battle with the aim of winning the paternal-ancestral kingdom, such fighting can be understood as the proper conduct of a warrior-ruler fulfilling his role.