Shloka 12
Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
उच्छितान् नाशयेत् स्फीतान् नरेन्द्रानचलोपमान् । श्रयेच्छायामविज्ञातां गुप्तं रणमुपाश्रयेत्
ucchitān nāśayet sphītān narendrān acalopamān | śrayecchāyām avijñātāṁ guptaṁ raṇam upāśrayet ||
Ia harus menjatuhkan raja-raja yang tinggi martabatnya dan makmur—para penguasa yang teguh laksana gunung. Tanpa membuat mereka sadar, ia hendaknya berlindung dalam ‘naungan’ mereka (bekerja di balik pengaruh mereka), lalu pada saat yang tepat menempuh cara perang yang tersembunyi.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a hard-edged principle of rājadharma/rājanīti: when facing powerful, entrenched rulers, one may rely on indirect means—operating under their cover without being detected and employing covert, opportunistic strategy—rather than open confrontation.
In Śānti Parva, Bhishma instructs on kingship and political strategy. Here he outlines how a weaker or aspiring power might undermine strong, prosperous kings: infiltrate their sphere of influence unnoticed and then initiate conflict in a concealed, well-timed manner.