Shloka 16
Daṇḍa-svarūpa-nirūpaṇa
The Nature, Forms, and Function of Daṇḍa
नाशयेद् बलबहाणि संनिवासान् निवासयेत् । सदा बह्िनिभ: काम॑ प्रशस्तं कृतमाचरेत् । सर्वतश्नाददेत् प्रज्ञां पतंगं गहनेष्विव
bhīṣma uvāca | nāśayed balavāhāni saṁnivāsān nivāsayet | sadā vahni-nibhaḥ kāmaṁ praśastaṁ kṛtam ācaret | sarvataś cādadet prajñāṁ pataṅgaṁ gahaneṣv iva |
Ia harus menghancurkan sumber kekuatan dan daya gerak musuh, serta menegakkan perkemahan dan permukiman yang aman bagi pihaknya. Senantiasa bertenaga dan berketetapan laksana api, ia hendaknya menjalankan tindakan yang terpuji dan terbukti berhasil, sebagaimana ia pandang tepat. Dari segala penjuru ia harus menghimpun kecerdasan dan kabar rahasia; dan seperti kawanan belalang yang turun ke rimba hingga tak menyisakan apa pun, demikian pula ia harus menghantam musuh sampai seluruh sumber dayanya lenyap.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches a kingly ethic of effective governance and warfare: weaken the enemy’s capacity (especially mobility and resources), secure one’s own bases, act with disciplined energy, and rely on wide-ranging intelligence and counsel—so that action is both strategically sound and aligned with what is ‘praśasta’ (commendable).
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on kingship and policy, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on practical measures of rule and conflict: consolidate one’s own settlements and encampments, gather intelligence from all directions, and, when necessary in war, strike the enemy decisively—illustrated through similes of fire (forceful energy) and a locust-swarm (total depletion of the foe’s resources).