Mahabharata 1.140.53 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 140, Shloka 53
Hiḍimba’s Approach and Hiḍimbā’s Warning to Bhīmasena (हिडिम्बागमनम् / हिडिम्बा-भयवचनम्)
शपथेनाप्यरिं हन्यादर्थदानेन वा पुनः । विषेण मायया वापि नोपेक्षेत कथंचन । उभौ चेत् संशयोपेतौ श्रद्धावांस्तत्र वर्द्धते
śapathenāpy ariṃ hanyād arthadānena vā punaḥ | viṣeṇa māyayā vāpi nopekṣeta kathaṃcana | ubhau cet saṃśayopetau śraddhāvāṃs tatra varddhate ||
Kaṇika sprach: „Selbst durch einen Eid (als List gebraucht) oder wiederum durch das Schenken von Reichtum soll man den Feind zu Fall bringen; auch durch Gift oder durch Täuschung — den Feind darf man niemals irgendwie vernachlässigen. Wenn zwei Könige gleichermaßen um den Sieg ringen und der Ausgang ungewiss scheint, dann gewinnt derjenige Vorteil und steigt empor, der diesem politisch begründeten Rat vertraut.“
कणिक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches an aggressively pragmatic doctrine of kingship: an enemy should not be ignored, and victory may be pursued through any effective means—oaths, bribery, poison, or deception. In a contested struggle where success is uncertain, the party that firmly trusts and applies such policy-counsel is said to prosper.
Kaṇika is delivering hard-edged political counsel (rājanīti) within the Adi Parva context, urging a ruler to adopt uncompromising measures against rivals. The verse frames a scenario of two evenly matched kings and claims that adherence to this strategic doctrine becomes the decisive advantage.
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