Shloka 4
Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)
बलेन विजितो यश्व न त॑ युध्येत भूमिप: । संवत्सरं विप्रणयेत् तस्माज्जात: पुनर्भवेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | balena vijito yaśva na taṁ yudhyeta bhūmipaḥ | saṁvatsaraṁ vipraṇayet tasmāj jātaḥ punar bhavet |
Bhishma dit : «Ô Yudhishthira, lorsqu’un roi a été vaincu par une force supérieure, il ne doit pas poursuivre le combat contre le vainqueur. Qu’il vive plutôt une année dans la discipline, la maîtrise de soi et la conciliation ; de cette retenue, c’est comme s’il renaissait—rétabli en force et en aptitude à agir.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler who has been defeated by superior force should avoid futile, pride-driven retaliation; instead he should adopt restraint and measured conduct for a period, regaining stability and capacity to act wisely—‘reborn’ through discipline.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship, Bhishma counsels Yudhishthira on proper conduct in political and military setbacks, advising withdrawal from immediate conflict and a year of regulated living to restore strength and judgment.