Shloka 61
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
वधेन च मनुष्याणां मार्गाणां दूषणेन च । अगाराणां विनाशैश्व॒ परराष्ट्रं विनाशयेत्,“मनुष्योंका वध करके, सड़कें तोड़-फोड़कर और घरोंको नष्ट-भ्रष्ट करके शत्रुके राष्ट्रका विध्वंस करना चाहिये
vadhena ca manuṣyāṇāṁ mārgāṇāṁ dūṣaṇena ca | agārāṇāṁ vināśaiś ca pararāṣṭraṁ vināśayet ||
Bhīṣma says that an enemy realm may be brought to ruin by killing its people, by damaging and defiling its roads and routes, and by destroying its houses—measures that cripple the opponent’s social order and capacity to function. The statement reflects a hard, strategic view of warfare in which the weakening of infrastructure and civilian stability is treated as a means to political collapse, raising sharp ethical tension with broader dharma-discourses on restraint and protection.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a severe rājadharma-style tactic: an enemy state can be crippled by targeting its population, transport routes, and housing—i.e., the human and infrastructural bases of governance and economy. It highlights the tension between pragmatic statecraft and ethical restraint within the broader Shānti Parva discussions.
Bhīṣma, instructing on kingship and policy in the Śānti Parva, describes methods by which a ruler might bring about the collapse of an opposing kingdom, emphasizing destructive measures against people and infrastructure as instruments of conquest.