Shloka 15

Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)

Devanagari script

नामित्रो विनिकर्तव्यो नातिच्छेद्य:ः कथठ्चन । जीवित हाृप्यतिच्छिन्न: संत्यजेच्च कदाचन,शत्रुके साथ छल नहीं करना चाहिये। उसे किसी प्रकार भी अत्यन्त उच्छिन्न करना उचित नहीं है। अत्यन्त क्षत-विक्षत कर देनेपर वह कभी अपने जीवनका त्याग भी कर सकता है

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | nāmitro vinikartavyo nāticchedyaḥ kathaṃcana | jīvitaṃ hṛpyaticchinnaḥ saṃtyajec ca kadācana ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: Jangan berlaku curang terhadap musuh, dan jangan pula menebasnya secara berlebihan dengan cara apa pun. Bila seseorang dirampas sarana hidupnya dan dilukai dengan parah, ia dapat putus asa dan bahkan mengakhiri hidupnya.

Word by Word

नnot

अमित्रःenemy

विनिकर्तव्यःto be cut down / to be mutilated

नnor / not

अतिच्छेद्यःto be excessively cut / to be cut to pieces

कथंचनin any way / at all

जीवितम्life

हृतःtaken away / deprived

अतिच्छिन्नःexcessively cut / grievously wounded

सःhe

त्यजेत्might abandon / should give up

चand

कदाचनever / at any time

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

enemy (amitra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in conflict, dharma requires restraint: do not mutilate or excessively harm an enemy. Cruel overkill that destroys a person’s capacity to live can drive him to despair and self-destruction, which is ethically blameworthy.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on humane limits in warfare and punishment, warning against brutal treatment of foes.