Shloka 9
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
तेनैव त्वं धृतिमता श्रीमता चाभिसत्कृत:
tenaiva tvaṁ dhṛtimatā śrīmatā cābhisatkṛtaḥ | āntaraiḥ bhedayitvārīn bilvaṁ bilvena bhedaya ||
ພີສະມະກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂດຍວິທີນັ້ນແຫຼະ ເຈົ້າຈະໄດ້ຮັບການຍົກຍ້ອງຈາກພະຣາຊາຈະນະກະ ຜູ້ມີຄວາມອົດທົນແລະມັ່ງຄັ່ງ. ເມື່ອພະອົງຕ້ອນຮັບເຈົ້າດ້ວຍກຽດອັນຄວນ ເຈົ້າຈະເປັນຜູ້ທີ່ປະຊາຊົນໄວ້ໃຈ ແລະໂດດເດັ່ນດ້ວຍກຽດສັກສີ. ແລ້ວຈົ່ງຮວບຮວມກໍາລັງຈາກມິດສະຫາຍ ແລະປຶກສາກັບມະນະຕຣີຜູ້ສາມາດ ໃຫ້ເກີດຄວາມແຕກແຍກໃນແຖວສັດຕູຜ່ານຄົນໃກ້ຊິດຂອງເຂົາ—ແຍກ “ບິລະວະ” ດ້ວຍ “ບິລະວະ”: ໃຫ້ສັດຕູພິນາດໂດຍນໍາສິ່ງທີ່ເຂົາພຶ່ງພາມາຕໍ່ຕ້ານເຂົາເອງ».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches pragmatic rāja-nīti: after securing honorable patronage and public trust, a ruler should act with deliberation—consult ministers, consolidate allies, and weaken hostile forces by inducing internal division through the enemy’s own insiders, i.e., neutralize opposition using its own dependencies rather than relying only on open force.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction within the Śānti Parva, he points the listener toward King Janaka’s support and hospitality. Once the listener gains standing and credibility, Bhīṣma advises assembling friendly forces and, through careful counsel, orchestrating a split in the enemy camp via their confidants—summed up by the proverb ‘split the bilva with a bilva.’