Shloka 81
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
उपायविजयं श्रेष्ठमाहुभेंदेन मध्यमम् । जघन्य एष विजयो यो युद्धेन विशाम्पते
upāyavijayaṁ śreṣṭham āhur bhedena madhyamam | jaghanya eṣa vijayo yo yuddhena viśāmpate rājān ||
Vyāsa bersabda: Kemenangan yang diraih melalui upaya bijaksana (kebijakan) disebut yang terbaik. Kemenangan yang diperoleh lewat ‘bheda’—memecah musuh dengan menabur perpecahan—dipandang sedang. Namun kemenangan yang dicapai lewat perang, dengan pembantaian dan kehancuran, wahai raja, tuan atas rakyat, itulah kemenangan yang paling rendah.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse ranks forms of victory ethically: the highest is success through wise policy and non-violent means; creating division in the enemy is a lesser, morally mixed method; and victory through open war and killing is the lowest, to be avoided when better options exist.
Vyāsa addresses a king and offers counsel on governance and conflict: he evaluates different political methods of overcoming an opponent, emphasizing that resorting to war is inferior compared to strategic and diplomatic resolution.