Shloka 12
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
अलभ्या ये शुभा भावा: स्त्रियश्चवाच्छादनानि च । शय्यासनानि यानानि महाहाणि गृहाणि च
alabhyā ye śubhā bhāvāḥ striyaś ca vācchādanāni ca | śayyāsanāni yānāni mahāhāṇi gṛhāṇi ca ||
ビーシュマは言った。「得がたくして吉祥なる望ましい享楽――女、身を覆い飾るための麗しい衣、寝台と座、乗り物、そして高価な邸宅――まさにこれらこそ、敵を絡め取るための糸である。かかる奢侈への執着を育てれば、彼の資財は次第に吸い尽くされ、ついには自ら滅びに至る。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches a pragmatic principle of rāja-nīti: an enemy can be weakened not only by force but by encouraging his attachment to costly pleasures, so that he exhausts his wealth and collapses through self-created dependency.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the prince on governance and strategy. Here he lists luxury objects—women, fine clothing, beds, seats, vehicles, and expensive houses—as means to lure an adversary into indulgence and financial depletion.