Shloka 6
Kṣātra-dharma in Campaign and Battle: Protection, Purification, and the Ideal Warrior’s End (क्षात्रधर्मः—अभियानयुद्धे रक्षणदानशुद्धिः)
यथैव क्षेत्रनिर्याता निर्यात क्षेत्रमेव च । हिनस्ति धान्यं कक्ष च न च धान्यं विनश्यति
yathaiva kṣetraniryātā niryāta kṣetram eva ca | hinasti dhānyaṃ kakṣaṃ ca na ca dhānyaṃ vinaśyati ||
Bhishma berkata: Seperti seorang petani yang menyiangi sawah; ketika mencabut lalang, dia mungkin turut memotong beberapa batang padi, namun padi itu tidak binasa—bahkan selepas disiang, hasilnya bertambah. Demikian juga dalam peperangan, apabila tentera raja menghentam dengan pelbagai senjata dan membunuh musuh yang wajar dibunuh, maka penebusan yang sempurna bagi raja ialah ini: sesudah perang, hendaklah baginda kembali memajukan kebajikan serta kemakmuran segala makhluk dalam kerajaannya dengan segala cara.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when violence occurs in a justified war, the ruler bears ethical responsibility afterward: the true expiation is to restore and advance the welfare of the kingdom—protecting, nurturing, and enabling prosperity—just as weeding may incidentally cut some grain but ultimately supports a greater harvest.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, he uses an agricultural analogy: a farmer’s weeding may cause incidental loss yet serves the larger good; similarly, wartime killing of those deemed fit to be slain is framed as part of governance, and the king’s subsequent duty is comprehensive uplift of the realm.