शुकसारणनिग्रहः / Ravana Rebukes Suka and Sārana; Spies Reconnoiter Rama’s Camp
चारेणविदितश्शत्रुःपण्डितैर्वसुधाधिपैः ।युद्धेस्वल्पेनयत्नेनसमासाद्यनिरस्यते ।।।।
cāreṇa viditaḥ śatruḥ paṇḍitair vasudhādhipaiḥ | yuddhe svalpena yatnena samāsādya nirasyate ||
“Raja-raja yang bijaksana, dengan mengetahui musuh melalui pengintip, dapat menemuinya di medan perang dan menghalaunya dengan usaha yang sedikit.”
"You may see how he goes to sleep, how he wakes up etc., what he does, everything. You may come after knowing everything."
It teaches that knowledge reduces needless violence and waste; dharma in statecraft prefers informed action over blind aggression—though here the teaching is used for an unjust aim.
Rāvaṇa motivates the spies by citing a maxim of governance: intelligence enables efficient victory.
Pragmatic wisdom in governance (nīti): using information to minimize effort and uncertainty.