Shloka 9
स चेन्निकृत्या युद्धयेत निकृत्या प्रतियोधयेत् । अथ चेद् धर्मतो युद्धयेद् धर्मेणैव निवारयेत्
sa cen nikṛtyā yudhyeta nikṛtyā pratiyodhayet | atha ced dharmato yudhyed dharmeṇaiva nivārayet ||
അവൻ കപടത്തോടെ യുദ്ധം ചെയ്താൽ, കപടത്താൽ തന്നെ പ്രതിയുദ്ധം ചെയ്യണം. എന്നാൽ അവൻ ധർമ്മപ്രകാരം യുദ്ധം ചെയ്താൽ, ധർമ്മത്താൽ തന്നെ അവനെ തടയണം—അധർമ്മത്താൽ അല്ല.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches a conditional ethic of warfare: answer deceit with deceit if necessary, but when the opponent is righteous, respond only with righteous means. Dharma is not to be abandoned against a dharmic adversary.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship and conduct, Bhishma lays down a rule for how a warrior or ruler should respond to an enemy’s mode of fighting—distinguishing between treacherous and dharmic combat and prescribing an appropriate, ethically bounded response.