Shloka 18
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
यो नोपकर्तु शकनोति नापकर्तु महीपति: । न शक््यरूपश्रोद्धर्तुमुपेक्ष्यस्तादृशो भवेत्
yo nopakartuṁ śaknoti nāpakartu mahīpatiḥ | na śakyarūpaś chroddhartum upekṣyas tādṛśo bhavet ||
Bhishma said: If there is a king who is unable to confer benefit and also unable to inflict harm—and whose complete destruction does not even seem proper—then such a ruler should be set aside and ignored.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
When a ruler is neither useful as an ally (cannot benefit) nor dangerous as an enemy (cannot harm), and eliminating him is not appropriate, the best policy is strategic non-engagement—ignore and move on rather than waste resources.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises the king on practical governance and diplomacy, outlining how to respond to different types of rulers; here he recommends upekṣā (disregard) toward an ineffective king who is not worth alliance, hostility, or destruction.