Shloka 11
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
परैर्वा संविदं कृत्वा बलमप्यस्य घातय
parair vā saṃvidaṃ kṛtvā balam apy asya ghātaya | athavā śatrūn śubhair alabhyaiś ca dravyaiḥ strībhiḥ śayanāsanavāhanaiḥ bahumūlyagṛhair nānārasagandhaphalaiś ca āsaktān kurv iti | nānāpakṣiṇāṃ vividhajātīyapaśūnāṃ ca pālane āsaktiṃ tasya manasi janaya, yena sa śanaiḥ śanaiḥ dhanahīnaḥ san svata eva naśyet ||
परैर्वा संविदं कृत्वा बलमप्यस्य घातय। अथवा परैः सह संयोगं कृत्वा तैरेव शत्रोर्बलं नाशय। राजकुमार, यानि शुभानि दुरलभानि—स्त्रियः, सुन्दराणि वस्त्राणि शयनासनानि वाहनानि, बहुमूल्यानि गृहाणि, नानारसानि गन्धान् फलानि च—एतैरेव तं शत्रुमासक्तं कुरु। नानाविधानां पक्षिणां विविधजातीनां पशूनां पालनासक्तिं च तस्य मनसि जनय; यथा स शनैः शनैर्धनहीनो भूत्वा स्वयमेव विनश्येत्॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches pragmatic rāja-nīti: weaken an adversary either through alliances that neutralize his power directly, or by inducing costly attachments to luxury and indulgence so that he becomes financially exhausted and collapses from within.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance, Bhishma addresses a prince and outlines a strategy for dealing with enemies: coordinate with other powers to diminish the enemy’s strength, and/or distract the enemy with pleasures and expensive pursuits (comforts, sensual enjoyments, and maintaining birds and animals) until his resources are depleted.