Shloka 7
Sundopasundayor Digvijayaḥ — The Conquests of Sunda and Upasunda
Nārada’s Account
अधर्मेण च राज्यं त्वं प्राप्तवान् भरतर्षभ | तेडपि राज्यमनुप्राप्ता: पूर्वमेवेति मे मति:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! तुमने अधर्मपूर्वक इस राज्यको हथिया लिया है; परंतु मेरा विचार यह है कि तुमसे पहले ही वे भी इस राज्यको पा चुके थे
adharmeṇa ca rājyaṃ tvaṃ prāptavān bharatarṣabha | te 'pi rājyam anuprāptāḥ pūrvam eveti me matiḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô taureau parmi les Bharata, tu as obtenu le royaume par des moyens contraires au dharma. Pourtant, selon mon jugement, eux-mêmes étaient déjà entrés en possession de ce même royaume avant toi.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Political success gained through adharma is morally compromised; Bhīṣma frames kingship as an ethical matter and weighs competing claims to legitimacy, stressing that prior possession or claim can complicate judgments about wrongdoing.
Bhīṣma addresses a Bharata ruler who has seized the kingdom by unrighteous means, but he adds a qualifying assessment: the opposing party had, in his view, already obtained or established possession of the kingdom earlier—introducing a dispute over rightful claim and succession.