Shloka 24
मृत्यु-काल-प्रबोधनम् (Instruction on Mortality, Time, and Truth) — Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva 169
संगृह्नन्तः परिजन स्वाम्यर्थपरमा: सदा । ईदृशै: पुरुषश्रेष्ठैर्य: संधि कुरुते नृप:
saṅgṛhṇantaḥ parijana svāmyarthaparamāḥ sadā | īdṛśaiḥ puruṣaśreṣṭhair yaḥ sandhi kurute nṛpaḥ ||
ผู้รวบรวมหมู่ญาติและผู้ตามไว้ให้เป็นปึกแผ่น และยึดประโยชน์ของนายเหนือสิ่งอื่นใดเสมอ—กษัตริย์ผู้ใดทำสัญญาสัมพันธไมตรีกับบุรุษผู้ประเสริฐเช่นนั้น
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In forming alliances, a ruler should value partners whose followers are cohesive and whose loyalty to their leader’s interest is unwavering; such reliability makes a treaty effective in practice, not merely in words.
Within Bhīṣma’s instruction on rājadharma in the Śānti Parva, he advises the king about prudent diplomacy (sandhi), emphasizing the strategic importance of allies who can command united, loyal support from their own people.