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 dijo: Si él tomara las armas contra ti, aun así sería el deber legítimo de un kshatriya: combatir con la intención de vencerte en el campo de batalla por la soberanía heredada del padre y de los antepasados. En tal caso, el acto no se entiende como malicia personal, sino como cumplimiento del dharma del guerrero orientado a asegurar el reino recibido en herencia.
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.