Shloka 11
Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)
तां वृत्ति नानुवर्तेत विजिगीषुर्महीपति: । धर्मलब्धाद्धि विजयाल्लाभ: को<5भ्यधिको भवेत्
tāṁ vṛttiṁ nānuvarteta vijigīṣur mahīpatiḥ | dharmalabdhād dhi vijayāl lābhaḥ ko 'bhyadhiko bhavet ||
ビーシュマは言った。「征服を望む王は、そのような振る舞いに従ってはならぬ。なぜなら、正義によって得られる勝利—正当で公正な手段によって勝ち取られる勝利—に勝る利得が、いったいどこにあろうか。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that a ruler seeking victory should reject improper policies and value conquest achieved through dharma, because a victory gained righteously is the highest and most meaningful form of gain.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises the king on statecraft and moral governance, emphasizing that the legitimacy of victory depends on the righteousness of the means used to obtain it.