Shloka 12
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
अलभ्या ये शुभा भावा: स्त्रियश्चवाच्छादनानि च । शय्यासनानि यानानि महाहाणि गृहाणि च,अथवा दूसरोंसे मेल करके उन्हींके द्वारा शत्रुके बलका भी नाश कराओ। राजकुमार! जो शुभ पदार्थ अलभ्य हैं, उनमें तथा स्त्री, ओढ़ने-बिछानेके सुन्दर वस्त्र, अच्छे-अच्छे पलंग, आसन, वाहन, बहुमूल्य गृह, तरह-तरहके रस, गन्ध और फल--इन्हीं वस्तुओंमें शत्रुको आसक्त करो। भाँति-भाँतिके पक्षियों और विभिन्न जातिके पशुओंके पालनकी भी आसक्ति शत्रुके मनमें पैदा करो, जिससे यह शत्रु धीरे-धीरे धनहीन होकर स्वतः नष्ट हो जाय
alabhyā ye śubhā bhāvāḥ striyaś ca vācchādanāni ca | śayyāsanāni yānāni mahāhāṇi gṛhāṇi ca ||
Bhīṣma said: “Those desirable and auspicious enjoyments that are hard to obtain—women, fine garments for covering and adornment, beds and seats, conveyances, and costly houses—these are the very objects by which an enemy may be entangled. By fostering his attachment to such luxuries, his resources are gradually drained, and he comes to ruin of his own accord.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches a pragmatic principle of rāja-nīti: an enemy can be weakened not only by force but by encouraging his attachment to costly pleasures, so that he exhausts his wealth and collapses through self-created dependency.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the prince on governance and strategy. Here he lists luxury objects—women, fine clothing, beds, seats, vehicles, and expensive houses—as means to lure an adversary into indulgence and financial depletion.