Shloka 24
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
नात्मच्छिद्रं रिपुर्विद्याद् विद्याच्छिद्रं परस्य तु । गूहेत् कूर्म इवाड्रानि रक्षेद् विवरमात्मन:
nātmachchidraṃ ripur vidyād vidyāc chidraṃ parasya tu | gūhet kūrma ivāṅgāni rakṣed vivaram ātmanaḥ ||
नात्मच्छिद्रं रिपुर्विद्याद् विद्याच्छिद्रं परस्य तु । गूहेत् कूर्म इवाङ्गानि रक्षेद् विवरमात्मनः ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In rāja-dharma, prudent governance requires guarding one’s own vulnerabilities from hostile knowledge while discerning the opponent’s weak points; discretion and self-protection are ethical duties of rulership when they prevent harm to the realm.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on the duties and strategies of kingship. Here he gives a practical maxim of political vigilance, illustrated by the tortoise withdrawing its limbs.