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 ||
ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ຈົ່ງເຮັດສັນຍາກັບຄົນອື່ນ ໃຫ້ເຂົາເປັນຜູ້ທໍາລາຍແມ່ນແຕ່ກໍາລັງຂອງສັດຕູ; ຫຼືຈັບມືກັບຄົນອື່ນ ໃຫ້ອໍານາດຂອງສັດຕູຖືກທໍາລາຍໂດຍພວກເຂົາ. ໂອ ເຈົ້າຊາຍ! ຈົ່ງຜູກມັດສັດຕູໃຫ້ຫຼົງໃນຂອງຢົກຍ້ອງທີ່ຫາຍາກ—ຍິງງາມ, ເຄື່ອງນຸ່ງຫົ່ມແລະເຄື່ອງປູທີ່ປະນີດ, ຕຽງອັນດີ, ບ່ອນນັ່ງ, ພາຫະນະ, ເຮືອນລໍາຄ່າ, ລົດຊາດຫຼາກຫຼາຍ, ກິ່ນຫອມ ແລະຜົນໄມ້ນານາຊະນິດ. ຈົ່ງກໍ່ໃຫ້ໃນໃຈເຂົາເກີດຄວາມຫຼົງໃນການລ້ຽງນົກຫຼາຍຊະນິດ ແລະສັດຫຼາຍສາຍພັນ ເພື່ອໃຫ້ເຂົາຄ່ອຍໆຖືກດູດຊັບສິນຈົນໝົດ ແລະພິນາດໄປໂດຍຕົນເອງ».
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.