Shloka 30
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
दण्डेनोपनतं शत्रुं यो राजा न नियच्छति । स मृत्युमुपगह्नाति गर्भमश्वतरी यथा
daṇḍenopanataṃ śatruṃ yo rājā na niyacchati | sa mṛtyum upagahṇāti garbham aśvatarī yathā ||
ಭೀಷ್ಮನು ಹೇಳಿದರು— ದಂಡದಿಂದ ಕುಗ್ಗಿ ತಲೆಬಾಗಿದ ಶತ್ರುವನ್ನು ಪಡೆದರೂ ಅವನನ್ನು ನಿಯಂತ್ರಿಸಿ ಅಂತ್ಯಗೊಳಿಸದ ರಾಜನು ತನ್ನ ಮರಣವನ್ನೇ ಅಪ್ಪಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾನೆ; ಗರ್ಭಧಾರಣೆ ಮಾಡಿದ ಖಚ್ಚರಿ ಮರಣವನ್ನೇ ಆಹ್ವಾನಿಸುವಂತೆ।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In rājadharma, once an enemy has been subdued by daṇḍa, a king must act decisively; sparing or failing to neutralize such a foe out of hesitation invites future danger and can become the cause of the king’s own ruin.
Bhīṣma, instructing on royal duty in the Śānti Parva, uses a stark simile: a king who does not restrain/finish a humbled enemy is like a mule whose pregnancy leads to death—an image meant to warn against indecisive governance in matters of security.