Shloka 20
Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)
भूमिवर्ज धनं राजा जित्वा राजन् महाहवे । अपि चान्नौषधी: शश्वदाजहार प्रतर्दन:
bhūmivarjaṃ dhanaṃ rājā jitvā rājan mahāhave | api cānnauṣadhīḥ śaśvad ājahāra pratardanaḥ ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai raja, setelah memenangi suatu peperangan besar, Raja Pratardana membawa pulang harta—dengan membiarkan tanahnya tetap seperti sedia kala. Bahkan, baginda juga berulang kali mengangkut ke ibu kotanya simpanan bijirin dan herba ubatan.” Petikan ini menonjolkan sikap menahan diri selepas kemenangan: mengambil sumber yang boleh dipindahkan sambil tidak memusnahkan wilayah yang ditakluki, demi mengurangkan mudarat dan memelihara ketertiban, bukan melenyapkan negeri yang kalah.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory should be tempered by restraint: a righteous ruler may secure movable resources needed for governance while avoiding needless devastation or dispossession of the conquered land, thereby limiting suffering and preserving stability.
Bhishma cites an earlier example: King Pratardana wins a major battle and, instead of seizing the defeated king’s territory, takes the remaining wealth along with supplies of grain and medicinal herbs to his own capital.