Shloka 5
Vāmadeva’s Counsel on Rooted Kingship and Non-violent Victory (वामदेवोपदेशः—दृढमूलराजधर्मः)
जिसके सैनिक संतुष्ट, राजाके द्वारा सान्त्वना-प्राप्त और शत्रुओंको धोखा देनेमें चतुर हों, वह भूपाल थोड़ी-सी सेनाके द्वारा भी पृथ्वीपर विजय पा लेता है ।। (दण्डो हि बलवानू् यत्र तत्र साम प्रयुज्यते । प्रदानं सामपूर्व च भेदमूलं प्रशस्यते ।। जिस स्थानपर शत्रुपक्षकी सेना अधिक प्रबल हो, वहाँ पहले सामनीतिका ही प्रयोग करना उचित है। यदि उससे काम न चले तो धन या उपहार देनेकी नीतिको अपनाना चाहिये। इस दाननीतिके मूलमें भी यदि भेदनीतिका समावेश हो अर्थात् शत्रुओंमें फूट डालनेकी चेष्टा की जा रही हो तो उसे उत्तम माना गया है ।। त्रयाणां विफल कर्म यदा पश्येत भूमिप: । रन्ध्र॑ ज्ञात्वा ततो दण्डं प्रयुज्जीताविचारयन् ।।) जब राजा साम, दान और भेद--तीनोंका प्रयोग निष्फल देखे, तब शत्रुकी दुर्बलताका पता लगाकर दूसरा कोई विचार मनमें न लाते हुए दण्डनीतिका ही प्रयोग करे--शत्रुके साथ युद्ध छेड़ दे ।। पौरजानपदा यस्य भूतेषु च दयालव: । सधना धान्यवन्तश्न दृढ्मूल: स पार्थिव:
paurajānapadā yasya bhūteṣu ca dayālavaḥ | sadhanā dhānyavantaś ca dṛḍhamūlaḥ sa pārthivaḥ ||
Vāmadeva said: That king whose soldiers are content, comforted by their ruler, and skilled in deceiving the foe, wins victory over the earth even with a small army. Where the enemy’s force is stronger, one should first employ sāma (conciliation); if that fails, resort to dāna (gifts of wealth). If, at the root of that dāna, bheda (sowing division) is also applied, it is praised as best. But when sāma, dāna, and bheda all prove fruitless, then the king, having found the enemy’s weakness, should without hesitation use daṇḍa (forceful punishment)—that is, open war. And that king is firmly founded whose townsmen and countryfolk are devoted to him, who is compassionate toward all beings, and whose realm is rich in resources and grain.
वामदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s strength is not only military or punitive power but a stable moral and material foundation: the loyalty of citizens and villagers, compassion toward all beings, and a well-provisioned, grain-rich realm. These make the ruler ‘firm-rooted’ and enduring.
In Śānti Parva’s discourse on kingship (rājadharma), the sage Vāmadeva describes the marks of a successful ruler. This verse highlights internal stability—public support, humane governance, and economic sufficiency—as the basis of durable sovereignty.