Shloka 19
Ānṛśaṃsya, Amātya-Guṇa, and Reconciliatory Counsel (आनृशंस्य–अमात्यगुण–संधि-उपदेशः)
आत्मन्यपि च संदृश्यावुभी जयपराजयौ । नि:ःशेषकारिणां तात नि:शेषकरणाद् भयम्
ātmany api ca saṃdṛśyāv ubhī jayaparājayau | niḥśeṣakāriṇāṃ tāta niḥśeṣakaraṇād bhayam ||
Bhishma dit : «Mon enfant, regarde aussi en toi-même et reconnais la victoire comme la défaite. Ceux qui dépouillent autrui de ses biens au point de ne rien laisser vivent dans une crainte constante pour eux-mêmes, née du péché de la spoliation totale.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches ethical restraint and inner discernment: recognize that the impulses leading to “victory” and “defeat” arise within oneself, and understand that totally depriving others of their possessions is a grave wrong that breeds continual fear and insecurity for the wrongdoer.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma after the war. Here he warns against ruthless appropriation—especially leaving others with nothing—framing it as a sinful act whose psychological and karmic consequence is persistent fear.