Shloka 1
Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)
अपन बछ। है २ >> षण्णवतितमो< ध्याय: राजाके छलरहित धर्मयुक्त बर्तावकी प्रशंसा भीष्म उवाच नाधर्मेण महीं जेतुं लिप्सेत जगतीपति: । अधर्मविजयं लब्ध्वा को नु मन्येत भूमिप:
bhīṣma uvāca | nādharmeṇa mahīṃ jetuṃ lipseta jagatīpatiḥ | adharmavijayaṃ labdhvā ko nu manyeta bhūmipaḥ ||
毗湿摩曰：尤提士提罗啊，肩负天下之责的君主，切不可起意以非法（adharma）征服大地。若以非法得胜，又有哪一位国王能真正被视为光荣、堪受敬重？
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that political success must be grounded in dharma: conquest or governance achieved through adharma lacks moral legitimacy, and such a victor cannot be truly honored as a rightful king.
In the Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on rajadharma after the war. Here he begins by warning that a ruler should not seek dominion through unrighteous methods, because an unjust victory undermines a king’s reputation and rightful standing.