Shloka 11
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
परैर्वा संविदं कृत्वा बलमप्यस्य घातय
parair vā saṃvidaṃ kṛtvā balam apy asya ghātaya | athavā śatrūn śubhair alabhyaiś ca dravyaiḥ strībhiḥ śayanāsanavāhanaiḥ bahumūlyagṛhair nānārasagandhaphalaiś ca āsaktān kurv iti | nānāpakṣiṇāṃ vividhajātīyapaśūnāṃ ca pālane āsaktiṃ tasya manasi janaya, yena sa śanaiḥ śanaiḥ dhanahīnaḥ san svata eva naśyet ||
ビーシュマは言った。「あるいは他者と盟約を結び、その手によって敵の兵力すら打ち砕かせよ。あるいは他者と手を携え、彼らを介して敵の権勢を滅ぼさせよ。王子よ、得難く人を惑わす品々に敵を執着させて絡め取れ――女、身を覆い寝床を飾る麗しき衣、上等の寝台、座具、乗り物、高価な邸宅、さまざまな味と香と果実。さらに、多種の鳥や異なる血統の獣を飼い集める嗜好をその心に芽生えさせよ。そうすれば敵は少しずつ財を吸い尽くされ、ついには自滅する。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches pragmatic rāja-nīti: weaken an adversary either through alliances that neutralize his power directly, or by inducing costly attachments to luxury and indulgence so that he becomes financially exhausted and collapses from within.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance, Bhishma addresses a prince and outlines a strategy for dealing with enemies: coordinate with other powers to diminish the enemy’s strength, and/or distract the enemy with pleasures and expensive pursuits (comforts, sensual enjoyments, and maintaining birds and animals) until his resources are depleted.