Shloka 19

Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)

Devanagari script

एतेनैव च वृत्तेन महीं प्राप सुरोत्तम: । अनेन चेन्द्रविषयं विजिगीषन्ति पार्थिवा:,इसी बर्तावसे देवराज इन्द्रने राज्य पाया था और इसी बर्तावके द्वारा भूपालगण स्वर्गलोकपर विजय पाना चाहते हैं

Transliteration

etenaiva ca vṛttena mahīṃ prāpa surottamaḥ | anena cendravīṣayaṃ vijigīṣanti pārthivāḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “By this very mode of conduct the best among the gods attained sovereignty over the earth. And by this same conduct, earthly kings seek to conquer Indra’s realm (heaven).”

Word by Word

एतेनby this

एवindeed/only

चand

वृत्तेनconduct/behavior

महीम्the earth

प्रापobtained/attained

सुरोत्तमःthe best of the gods (Indra)

अनेनby this

चand

इन्द्रविषयम्Indra's domain (heaven/sovereignty)

विजिगीषन्तिdesire to conquer

पार्थिवाःkings/earthly rulers

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Indra

surottama (best of the gods)

pārthivāḥ (kings)

mahī (earth)

Indra’s realm (svarga/Indraloka implied)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches that righteous conduct (vṛtta)—a disciplined, ethical way of living and ruling—is the decisive cause of both worldly sovereignty and heavenly attainment; power and victory are grounded in dharma rather than mere force.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal duty and dharma, Bhishma cites the example of the foremost god (implicitly Indra) attaining dominion through a particular code of conduct, and says that kings likewise aim at Indra’s heavenly realm by following that same conduct.