Shloka 15
Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
प्रणयेद् वापि तां भूमिं प्रणश्येद् गहने पुनः । हन्यात्क्रुद्धानतिविषास्तान् जिह्मगतयो5हितान्
praṇayed vāpi tāṁ bhūmiṁ praṇaśyed gahane punaḥ | hanyāt kruddhān ativīṣās tān jihmagatayo 'hitān ||
قال بهيشما: «إن كان للملك مهارةٌ في ذلك، جاز له أن يدخل عمدًا أرضًا قد نصب فيها العدو شَرَكًا. فإذا دنا الخطر، فليتراجع وليختفِ في غابة كثيفة. وأما أولئك الأعداء المعادون—المعوجّو المسالك، المتأججون غضبًا—فليحسبهم كالأفاعي شديدة السُّمّ، وليضربهم ضربة قاضية».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Raja-dharma here emphasizes pragmatic protection of the realm: a king may take calculated risks, but should also know when to withdraw and hide; against treacherous, violently hostile enemies, decisive force is justified, likened to killing venomous serpents.
In Bhishma’s instruction on governance and security, he advises the king on how to respond to enemy plots: enter even trapped territory if strategically sound, retreat into a forest if danger peaks, and eliminate deceitful, enraged foes who pose lethal threat.