Shloka 35

Devanagari script

साम भेद: प्रदानं च ततो दण्डश्न पार्थिव | उपेक्षा पञ्चमी चात्र कार्त्स्न्येन समुदाह्यता,ब्रह्माजीके उस नीतिशास्त्रमें मन्त्रियोंकी रक्षा (उन्हें कोई फोड़ न ले, इसके लिये सतर्कता), प्रणिधि (राजदूत), राजपुत्रके लक्षण, गुप्तचरोंके विचरणके विविध उपाय, विभिन्न स्थानोंमें विभिन्न प्रकारके गुप्तचरोंकी नियुक्ति, साम, दान, भेद, दण्ड और उपेक्षा --इन पाँचों उपायोंका पूर्णरूपसे प्रतिपादन किया गया है

Transliteration

sāma bhedaḥ pradānaṃ ca tato daṇḍaś ca pārthiva | upekṣā pañcamī cātra kārtsnyena samudāhṛtā ||

Translation

Bhīṣma nói: “Hỡi bậc quân vương, ở đây năm biện pháp của quốc chính được tuyên bày trọn vẹn: hòa hiếu (sāma), ly gián (bheda), ban tặng/đãi ngộ để dụ dẫn (pradāna/dāna), trừng phạt hay dùng sức mạnh (daṇḍa), và làm ngơ theo sách lược (upekṣā) là điều thứ năm.”

Word by Word

सामconciliation

भेदःdissension / division

प्रदानम्giving (gift/bribe)

चand

ततःthen / thereafter

दण्डःpunishment / force

नnot

पार्थिवO king

उपेक्षाneglect / indifference

पञ्चमीthe fifth

चand

अत्रhere / in this context

कार्त्स्न्येनcompletely / in full

समुदाहृताःhave been stated / enumerated

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

pārthiva (the king addressed, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira in the Śānti Parva dialogue)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A ruler should know and apply five policy instruments—conciliation, inducement, division, punishment, and strategic non-interference—ideally using the least harmful means first and escalating only as required by circumstances and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva instruction on kingship, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on practical governance (nīti), summarizing the classic five upāyas used to manage allies, rivals, and threats.