Shloka 6
Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)
नतु वध्यधन तिषछेत् पिबेयुर्राह्मिणा: पय: । युज्जीरन्नप्यनडुह: क्षन्तव्यं वा तदा भवेत्
na tu vadhya-dhanaṁ tiṣṭhet pibeyur brāhmaṇāḥ payaḥ | yujjīrann apy anaḍuhaḥ kṣantavyaṁ vā tadā bhavet ||
Bhishma bersabda: “Janganlah seseorang menyimpan untuk dirinya harta yang dirampas melalui kesalahan yang layak dihukum. Jika seekor lembu dirampas dengan kekerasan, janganlah dia meminum susunya sendiri; biarlah para Brahmin meminumnya. Jika ada lembu jantan, biarlah ia dipasangkan pada kereta dan seumpamanya hanya untuk kegunaan Brahmin. Dan jika pemilik sah barang curi atau harta itu datang memohon keampunan, maka ampunilah dia dan pulangkan hartanya kepadanya.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not personally enjoy or retain gains obtained through wrongdoing; redirect such gains away from selfish use, and when the rightful owner seeks pardon, forgive and restore what belongs to him.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on righteous conduct, Bhishma lays down rules for handling unlawfully acquired goods—especially cattle and draught animals—emphasizing non-enjoyment of tainted wealth and the duty to return property upon reconciliation.