Shloka 30
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
दण्डेनोपनतं शत्रुं यो राजा न नियच्छति । स मृत्युमुपगह्नाति गर्भमश्वतरी यथा
daṇḍenopanataṃ śatruṃ yo rājā na niyacchati | sa mṛtyum upagahṇāti garbham aśvatarī yathā ||
قال بهيشما: إذا ظفر ملكٌ بعدوٍّ قد أذلّه العقاب فانحنى مستسلمًا، ثم لم يكفّه ولم يُنهِ أمره، فقد عانق موتَه بيديه. وذلك كمثل البغل الذي يحمل فلا يكون حملُه إلا سببًا للموت—فتغدو حُبلاه عينَ هلاكه.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In rājadharma, once an enemy has been subdued by daṇḍa, a king must act decisively; sparing or failing to neutralize such a foe out of hesitation invites future danger and can become the cause of the king’s own ruin.
Bhīṣma, instructing on royal duty in the Śānti Parva, uses a stark simile: a king who does not restrain/finish a humbled enemy is like a mule whose pregnancy leads to death—an image meant to warn against indecisive governance in matters of security.