Shloka 10
धर्म्यविजय-नियमाः
Rules for Dharmic Victory in Kṣatriya Engagement
यदि वह छलसे युद्ध करे तो स्वयं भी उसी रीतिसे उसका सामना करे और यदि वह धर्मसे युद्ध आरम्भ करे तो धर्मसे ही उसका सामना करना चाहिये ।।
bhīṣma uvāca | yadi sa chalayā yuddhaṃ kuryāt tadā svayam api tathaiva tasya samānaṃ kuryāt | yadi tu sa dharmeṇa yuddham ārabhate tadā dharmeṇaiva tasya samānaṃ kartavyam || nāśvena rathinaṃ yāyād udiyād rathinaṃ rathī | vyasane na prahartavyaṃ na bhītāya jitāya ca ||
毗湿摩说：“若敌以诡诈用兵，可依其法应对；若敌依达摩而起战，则当以达摩相抗。不可令骑兵攻击战车武士；战车武士当以战车武士相对。敌若陷于灾厄，不可乘机击之；对畏惧者与已败者，更不可下手。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma lays down norms of dharma-yuddha: match the opponent’s mode of fighting (dharma with dharma), keep combat between comparable warriors (chariot-warrior against chariot-warrior), and refrain from attacking one who is in distress, frightened, or already defeated.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on righteous conduct. Here he specifies battlefield ethics—how a kṣatriya should engage an enemy and which situations make striking the foe morally impermissible.