समश्चेन्न संधिमिच्छेद् यावन्मात्रमपकुर्यात्तावन्मात्रमस्य प्रत्यपकुर्यात् ॥ कZ_०७.३.०७ ॥
samaś cen na saṃdhim icched yāvanmātram apakuryāt tāvanmātram asya pratyapakuryāt
Jika pihak yang setara tidak menginginkan perdamaian, hendaklah membalas hanya setakat mudarat yang dilakukan—mengikut kadar yang sama.
It preserves deterrence without triggering a costly spiral of escalation that would drain both sides, consistent with Kauṭilya’s attrition warning for equal-power wars.