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 ||
ビーシュマは言った。「王よ。もし征服を望む者が外邦の君主で、行い清らかにして、ダルマと利の方策に通じているなら、速やかに彼と盟約を結ぶべきである。さらに、祖先の権利のもとにかつて享受していた村や町が侵略者の手に落ちたなら、柔らかく宥和の言葉で説き、これを取り戻すよう努めよ。」
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.