Shloka 4
Bala and Dharma in Kṣatriya Governance (बल-धर्म सम्बन्धः)
भीष्म उवाच बाह्याश्चेद् विजिगीषु: स्याद् धर्मार्थकुशल: शुचि: । जवेन संधि कुर्वीत पूर्व भुक्तान् विमोचयेत्
bhīṣma uvāca bāhyāś ced vijigīṣuḥ syād dharmārthakuśalaḥ śuciḥ | javena sandhiṃ kurvīta pūrvabhuktān vimocayet ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Wahai Raja, bila calon penakluk itu adalah penguasa dari luar, bersih perilakunya serta mahir dalam sarana dharma dan kebijakan materi, maka segeralah mengikat perjanjian damai dengannya. Dan bila desa-desa serta kota-kota yang dahulu dinikmati berdasarkan hak leluhur telah jatuh ke tangan penyerbu, hendaknya engkau berusaha merebutnya kembali—membujuknya dengan tutur kata yang lembut dan mendamaikan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma advises pragmatic, ethically informed kingship: when facing a capable and morally disciplined external aggressor, prioritize swift diplomacy (sandhi) and use conciliatory persuasion to regain former holdings rather than rushing into destructive conflict.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma in the Shanti Parva, he outlines a policy response for a king confronted by an outside conqueror: make a quick treaty, then attempt to recover lost ancestral villages and towns through sweet, persuasive negotiation.