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 ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Seorang raja yang mengidamkan penaklukan tidak wajar menuruti jalan tingkah laku itu. Kerana keuntungan apakah yang dapat mengatasi kemenangan yang diperoleh melalui kebenaran—kemenangan yang diraih dengan cara yang sah dan adil?”
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.