Shloka 22
Jaitrya-nimitta: Signs of Prospective Victory and the Priority of Conciliation (जयलक्षण-निमित्त तथा सान्त्व-प्रधान नीति)
संनिपातो न मन्तव्य: शक््ये सति कथंचन । सान्त्वभेदप्रदानानां युद्धमुत्तरमुच्यते
sannipāto na mantavyaḥ śakye sati kathaṃcana | sāntvabhedapradānānāṃ yuddham uttaram ucyate ||
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Selagi masih ada kemungkinan untuk mencapai suatu perdamaian, jangan sekali-kali memilih pertembungan terbuka. Antara tiga upaya—pendamaian (sāntva), memecah-belahkan (bheda), dan memberi ganjaran/imbuhan (dāna)—peperangan dinyatakan sebagai jalan terakhir.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
War is ethically permissible only as a final option. A ruler should first attempt sāntva (conciliation), then bheda (strategic division of hostile forces), then pradāna (inducements), and only when these fail should yuddha (war) be undertaken.
In the Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma (the duties of kings). Here he outlines a graded policy for handling enemies: prioritize peace-making and political measures, and treat battle as the last step.