Shloka 17

Devanagari script

यस्त्वमित्रेण संदध्यान्मित्रेण च विरुद्धयते । अर्थयुक्ति समालोक्य सुमहद्‌ विन्दते फलम्‌,जो स्वार्थसिद्धिका अवसर देखकर शत्रुसे तो संधि कर लेता है और मित्रोंके साथ विरोध बढ़ा लेता है, वह महान्‌ फल प्राप्त कर लेता है

Transliteration

yas tv amitreṇa sandadhyān mitreṇa ca virudhyate | arthayuktiṃ samālokya sumahad vindate phalam ||

Translation

ലാഭത്തിന്റെ യുക്തി കണ്ട് ശത്രുവിനോടും സന്ധി ചെയ്‌തുകൊണ്ട്, ആവശ്യമായാൽ മിത്രനോടും വിരോധം പുലർത്തുന്നവൻ അതിമഹത്തായ ഫലം നേടുന്നു।

Word by Word

यःwho

तुbut/indeed

अमित्रेणwith an enemy

संदध्यात्should make (a pact)/should join

मित्रेणwith a friend

चand

विरुद्ध्यतेopposes/is at variance

अर्थयुक्तिम्expedient policy/means for advantage

समालोक्यhaving considered/observed

सुमहत्very great

विन्दतेfinds/obtains

फलम्fruit/result

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

enemy (amitra)

friend/ally (mitra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches pragmatic discernment in policy: one should evaluate relationships by artha-yukti (strategic reasoning about benefit and purpose). If circumstances demand, peace with an enemy and resistance to a friend may be justified to secure a larger objective and yield great results.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and conduct, Bhishma advises Yudhishthira on rajadharma. Here he states a principle of alliance-management: do not treat 'friend' and 'enemy' as permanent categories; act after weighing the situation and the intended outcome.