Shloka 15
Ānṛśaṃsya, Amātya-Guṇa, and Reconciliatory Counsel (आनृशंस्य–अमात्यगुण–संधि-उपदेशः)
यद्ययं प्रतियुद्धयेत् त्वां स्वकर्म क्षत्रियस्य तत् । जिगीषमाणत्त्वां युद्धे पितृपैतामहे पदे
yady ayaṁ pratiyuddhyeta tvāṁ svakarma kṣatriyasya tat | jigīṣamāṇas tvāṁ yuddhe pitṛpaitāmahe pade ||
Bhishma berkata: Jika dia mengangkat senjata menentangmu, itu tetaplah kewajipan yang benar bagi seorang kshatriya—berperang dengan niat menewaskanmu di medan laga demi merebut kedaulatan yang diwarisi daripada bapa dan leluhur. Dalam hal demikian, perbuatan itu bukanlah kebencian peribadi, melainkan pelaksanaan dharma seorang pahlawan untuk menegakkan kerajaan warisan.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma frames armed conflict for ancestral sovereignty as potentially consistent with kshatriya-svakarma: the ethical lens is duty and rightful station, not merely personal hostility.
Bhishma is explaining that if a claimant engages you in battle with the aim of winning the paternal-ancestral kingdom, such fighting can be understood as the proper conduct of a warrior-ruler fulfilling his role.