Shloka 4
व्यसन भेदनं चैव शत्रूणां कारयेत् ततः । कर्षणं भीषणं चैव युद्धे चैव बलक्षयम्,वहाँ यह प्रयत्न करना चाहिये कि शत्रुओंपर कोई संकट आ जाय या उनमें फूट पड़ जाय, वे क्षीण और भयभीत हो जायाँ तथा युद्धमें उनकी सेना नष्ट हो जाय
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | vyasana-bhedanaṃ caiva śatrūṇāṃ kārayet tataḥ | karṣaṇaṃ bhīṣaṇaṃ caiva yuddhe caiva bala-kṣayam ||
ततः शत्रूणां व्यसनभेदनं कारयेत्। कर्षणं भीषणं चैव, युद्धे चैव बलक्षयम्॥
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse articulates a hard-edged political-military maxim: weaken opponents by engineering misfortune and internal division, then exhaust and frighten them so their power collapses in battle. Ethically, it reflects a strategic, often adharma-leaning approach where victory is pursued through destabilization rather than restraint.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra is speaking in the Ashramavāsika context, voicing counsel framed in terms of dealing with enemies: first create crisis and factionalism among them, then apply pressure and terror, culminating in the attrition of their forces in war.