Shloka 25
मृदु-तीक्ष्ण-नीति तथा दुष्टलक्षण-विज्ञानम्
Measured Policy and the Recognition of Malicious Disposition
निहत्यैतानि चत्वारि मायां प्रति विधाय च । ततः शक््नोति शत्रूणां प्रहर्तुमविचारयन्,कोमलता, दण्ड, आलस्य और प्रमाद--इन चारोंको नष्ट करके शत्रुकी मायाका भी प्रतीकार करे। तत्पश्चात् वह बिना विचारे शत्रुओंपर प्रहार कर सकता है
nihatyaitāni catvāri māyāṃ prati vidhāya ca | tataḥ śaknoti śatrūṇāṃ prahartum avicārayan |
Bhishma sprach: „Hat man diese vier Fehler vernichtet und zudem ein Gegenmittel gegen die Täuschung des Feindes ersonnen, so wird man fähig, die Gegner ohne Zögern zu treffen. Die Lehre lautet: Sieg und dharmagemäße Staatskunst verlangen zuerst die Bezwingung der eigenen inneren Schwächen und sodann das Entgegentreten feindlicher Listen mit klarem, vorbereiteten Entschluss.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Eliminate four debilitating weaknesses (as indicated in the accompanying gloss: softness/over-tenderness, excessive reliance on punishment as a blunt tool, laziness, and negligence) and prepare a response to an enemy’s stratagem; only then should one act decisively. The ethical point is that disciplined self-control and prudent preparedness precede force.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and conduct, Bhishma advises the listener on practical statecraft: first conquer internal faults, then neutralize the opponent’s deceptive tactics, and thereafter strike or act firmly without wavering when action is required.