Shloka 4
धृतराष्ट्रस्य स्पर्शाभिलाषः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Request for Touch and Permission for Tapas
व्यसन भेदनं चैव शत्रूणां कारयेत् ततः । कर्षणं भीषणं चैव युद्धे चैव बलक्षयम्
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | vyasana-bhedanaṃ caiva śatrūṇāṃ kārayet tataḥ | karṣaṇaṃ bhīṣaṇaṃ caiva yuddhe caiva bala-kṣayam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „Dann soll man darauf hinarbeiten, Unheil und Zwietracht über die Feinde zu bringen—sie zu bedrängen, ihnen Furcht einzujagen und im Kampf ihre Kraft zu zermürben und zu vernichten.“
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse articulates a hard-edged political-military maxim: weaken opponents by engineering misfortune and internal division, then exhaust and frighten them so their power collapses in battle. Ethically, it reflects a strategic, often adharma-leaning approach where victory is pursued through destabilization rather than restraint.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra is speaking in the Ashramavāsika context, voicing counsel framed in terms of dealing with enemies: first create crisis and factionalism among them, then apply pressure and terror, culminating in the attrition of their forces in war.