Shloka 22
मृदु-तीक्ष्ण-नीति तथा दुष्टलक्षण-विज्ञानम्
Measured Policy and the Recognition of Malicious Disposition
ओजकश्न जनयेदेव संगृह्नन् साधूसम्मतम् । अकाले साधयेम्मित्रं न च प्राप्ते प्रपीडयेत्
ojakāś ca janayed eva saṅgṛhṇan sādhū-sammatam | akāle sādhayen mitraṁ na ca prāpte prapīḍayet ||
Bhīṣma said: “A man should steadily build up his strength, doing so with the approval and counsel of the virtuous. Until the favorable moment arrives, he should consolidate allies and increase the number of friends, and he should not harass the enemy prematurely. But when the right opportunity has come, he should not fail to strike the enemy.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Strength should be increased under righteous guidance; one should patiently build alliances and avoid premature aggression, yet act decisively when the proper moment arrives.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship and conduct, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira principles of prudent policy: consolidate power and friends first, avoid untimely provocation, and strike only when conditions are ripe.