Shloka 37
मृदु-तीक्ष्ण-नीति तथा दुष्टलक्षण-विज्ञानम्
Measured Policy and the Recognition of Malicious Disposition
एकैकमेषां निष्पिष्य शिष्टेषु निपुणं चरेत् । न तु शक्तो5पि मेधावी सवनिवारभेन्नूप:
ekaikameṣāṁ niṣpiṣya śiṣṭeṣu nipuṇaṁ caret | na tu śakto 'pi medhāvī sarvān ārabhen nṛpaḥ purandara |
Bhīṣma said: “Do not strike many enemies all at once. Rather, using the well-known instruments of policy—conciliation, gifts, division, and punishment—crush them one by one; and then, with practiced skill, proceed against those that remain. Even a wise king, though powerful, should not begin the task of subduing all foes simultaneously.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler should apply policy with restraint and sequencing: do not open multiple fronts at once; instead neutralize opponents one by one through conciliation, incentives, division, and, when necessary, force.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the king on governance and political strategy, advising a methodical approach to dealing with hostile powers rather than simultaneous confrontation.