Shloka 70
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
“जिसके पार न उतर सके, उस नदीको तैरनेका साहस न करे। जिसको शत्रु पुनः बलपूर्वक वापस ले सके ऐसे धनका अपहरण ही न करे। ऐसे वृक्ष या शत्रुको खोदने या नष्ट करनेकी चेष्टा न करे जिसकी जड़को उखाड़ फेंकना सम्भव न हो सके तथा उस वीरपर आघात न करे, जिसका मस्तक काटकर धरतीपर गिरा न सके ।।
yasya pāraṁ na tarituṁ śakyaṁ tāṁ nadīṁ tarituṁ sāhasaṁ na kuryāt | yaṁ śatruḥ punar balāt pratyānayituṁ śaknoti tādṛśasya dhanasya apaharaṇaṁ na kuryāt | yasya mūlaṁ samūlam uddhartum aśakyaṁ tādṛśaṁ vṛkṣaṁ (vā śatruṁ) khanitvā nāśayituṁ ceṣṭāṁ na kuryāt | yaṁ vīraṁ śiraś chettvā bhūmau pātayituṁ na śaknoti tasmin na prahāraṁ kuryāt || iti idam uktaṁ vṛjinābhi-saṁhitaṁ na ca etad evaṁ puruṣaḥ samācaret | para-prayukte na kathaṁ vibhāvayet—tato mayoktaṁ bhavato hitārthinā ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Huwag mangahas lumangoy sa ilog na hindi mo kayang marating ang kabilang pampang. Huwag agawin ang yaman na kayang bawiin muli ng kaaway sa pamamagitan ng lakas. Huwag tangkaing hukayin o wasakin ang punongkahoy—o ang kaaway—na hindi mo kayang bunutin ang ugat; at huwag salakayin ang mandirigmang hindi mo kayang pugutan ng ulo at ibagsak sa lupa. Ang payong ito, bagama’t tumutukoy sa makasalanang asal laban sa kaaway, ay hindi dapat isagawa ng taong may kakayahan sa panahon ng kasaganaan. Ngunit kung ang kaaway, sa gayunding mga paraan, ang siyang nagdadala ng panganib sa iyo, bakit hindi mo isaalang-alang ang paggamit ng kaparehong mga hakbang bilang panlaban? Para sa iyong kapakanan kaya ko ito sinabi.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Do not begin actions you cannot carry through to a decisive end—whether crossing a danger, seizing wealth, uprooting a threat, or striking a powerful foe. Such harsh, even sinful tactics are not to be used in normal, prosperous times; but if an enemy initiates such methods and creates peril, one may consider the same measures as defensive counteraction.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and conduct, Bhishma addresses the listener with strategic-ethical counsel: he lists examples of ill-judged aggression and then clarifies that he is not endorsing wrongdoing as a default, but explaining retaliatory options when an adversary has already adopted unscrupulous tactics.