Shloka 30
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
दण्डेनोपनतं शत्रुं यो राजा न नियच्छति । स मृत्युमुपगह्नाति गर्भमश्वतरी यथा,“जो राजा दण्डसे नतमस्तक हुए शत्रुको पाकर भी उसे नष्ट नहीं कर देता, वह अपनी मृत्युकों आमन्त्रित करता है। ठीक उसी तरह जैसे, खच्चरी मौतके लिये ही गर्भ धारण करती है
daṇḍenopanataṃ śatruṃ yo rājā na niyacchati | sa mṛtyum upagahṇāti garbham aśvatarī yathā ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: Kung ang isang hari, kahit nakuha na niya ang kaaway na napababa ng parusa at yumukong nagpapasakop, ay hindi pa rin pipigil at tatapos sa kanya, para na rin niyang niyayakap ang sariling kamatayan. Gaya ito ng mula na nagdadalantao upang humarap sa kamatayan—ang pagbubuntis nito ang nagiging sanhi ng pagkapuksa nito.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
In rājadharma, once an enemy has been subdued by daṇḍa, a king must act decisively; sparing or failing to neutralize such a foe out of hesitation invites future danger and can become the cause of the king’s own ruin.
Bhīṣma, instructing on royal duty in the Śānti Parva, uses a stark simile: a king who does not restrain/finish a humbled enemy is like a mule whose pregnancy leads to death—an image meant to warn against indecisive governance in matters of security.