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 dit : S’il prenait les armes contre toi, ce serait encore le devoir légitime d’un kshatriya : combattre avec l’intention de te vaincre sur le champ de bataille pour la souveraineté transmise par le père et les ancêtres. En un tel cas, l’acte n’est pas une malveillance personnelle, mais l’accomplissement du dharma du guerrier visant à garantir la royauté héritée.
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.