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 |
ビーシュマは言った。「ユディシュティラよ、王がより大いなる力に屈したなら、その勝者に対して戦いを続けてはならぬ。むしろ一年のあいだ、規律と自制と和解のうちに身を置け。その自己統御の期間から、彼はあたかも新たに生まれ、力と行為の適格さを回復するのだ。」
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.