Shloka 81
Hiḍimba’s Approach and Hiḍimbā’s Warning to Bhīmasena (हिडिम्बागमनम् / हिडिम्बा-भयवचनम्)
नास्य कृत्यानि बुध्येरन् मित्राणि रिपवस्तथा । आरब्धान्येव पश्येरन् सुपर्यवसितान्यपि,मित्र और शत्रु--किसीको भी यह पता न चले कि राजा कब क्या करना चाहता है। कार्यके आरम्भ अथवा समाप्त हो जानेपर ही (सब) लोग उसे देखें
nāsya kṛtyāni budhyeran mitrāṇi ripavas tathā | ārabdhāny eva paśyeran suparyavasitāny api ||
Kaṇika said: “Let neither friends nor enemies discern his intended actions. Let them see his undertakings only when they have already begun—and even those only when they have been brought to a successful conclusion.”
कणिक उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a principle of rāja-nīti: a ruler should keep intentions and plans concealed from both allies and adversaries, revealing actions only when they are already underway or safely completed, so that interference, manipulation, or premature opposition is minimized.
Kaṇika is giving counsel on governance and strategy. In this segment he advises the king on operational secrecy—how to manage information so that neither friends nor enemies can anticipate royal initiatives.