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 ||
ພີສະມະ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ພຣະຣາຊາ, ຖ້າຜູ້ປາຖະໜາຊະນະເປັນກະສັດຈາກພາຍນອກ, ມີຄວາມບໍລິສຸດໃນຄວາມປະພຶດ ແລະຊໍານານໃນວິທີແຫ່ງທຳມະ ແລະນະໂຍບາຍທາງວັດຖຸ, ກໍຄວນເຮັດສັນຕິສັນຍາກັບເຂົາໂດຍໄວ. ແລະຖ້າບ້ານແລະເມືອງທີ່ເຄີຍຢູ່ໃນສິດຂອງບັນພະບຸລຸດໄດ້ຕົກໃນມືຜູ້ຮຸກຮານ, ກໍຄວນພະຍາຍາມຊິງຄືນ—ໂດຍເວົ້າດ້ວຍຖ້ອຍຄໍາອ່ອນໂຍນ ແລະປະນີປະນອມເພື່ອຊັກຈູງເຂົາ»
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.