Shloka 68
Daṇḍanīti and the King as the Cause of Yuga-Order (दण्डनीतिः राजधर्मश्च युगकारणत्वम्)
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत शान्तिपर्वके अन्तर्गत राजधर्मानुशासनपर्वमें ब॒हस्पतिजीका उपदेशविषयक अड़सठवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
vigṛhya āsanam ity eva yātrāṁ samparigṛhya ca | daidhībhāvas tathānyesāṁ saṁśrayo ’tha parasya ca ||
yudhiṣṭhira! imeṣāṁ ṣaḍ-guṇānāṁ paricayaṁ śṛṇu—śatrunā saha sandhiṁ kṛtvā śāntena upaviśanam, śatror upari yātrā (abhyāgamanam), vigrahaṁ kṛtvā sthānam, ākramaṇa-pradarśana-mātreṇa bhīṣaṇaṁ kṛtvā sthānam, śatrūṇāṁ madhye bheda-praveśanam, tathā durge vā durjaye rājani āśraya-grahaṇam.
Vasumanā says: “O Yudhishthira, understand the six measures of royal policy. They are: making peace with an enemy and remaining settled in calm; marching against the enemy; maintaining open hostility and holding one’s position; staying put while merely displaying an attack to intimidate; sowing dissension among the enemy’s allies; and finally, taking shelter—seeking protection—within a fortress or under a powerful, hard-to-conquer king. These are the strategic stances by which a ruler preserves the realm and chooses action or restraint according to dharma and circumstance.”
वसुमना उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should know and deliberately choose among six strategic policies—peace, march, hostility, intimidation by show of force, creating dissension, and seeking shelter—so that action is guided by circumstance and restrained by rajadharma rather than impulse.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on royal duty, Vasumanā addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and enumerates key options of political-military conduct, framing them as recognized ‘measures’ a ruler may adopt toward enemies and rival powers.