Shloka 28
मृदु-तीक्ष्ण-नीति तथा दुष्टलक्षण-विज्ञानम्
Measured Policy and the Recognition of Malicious Disposition
भेदं च प्रथमं युञ्ज्यात् तृष्णीं दण्डं तथैव च । काले प्रयोजयेद् राजा तस्मिंस्तस्मिंस्तदा तदा
bhedaṃ ca prathamaṃ yuñjyāt tṛṣṇīṃ daṇḍaṃ tathaiva ca | kāle prayojayed rājā tasmiṃstasmiṃstadā tadā ||
毗湿摩说道：“君王当先用离间之策，使对手相互乖离。其后于适当之时，亦当施以惩罚——悄然行之，克制而不纵——随各个敌人、各个时机而分别运用。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches a graded, situational approach to kingship: begin with non-bloody political strategy (bheda—breaking hostile unity), and resort to coercive punishment (daṇḍa) only when timing and necessity demand it, applying it discreetly and proportionately to each case.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira on practical governance. Here he outlines how a ruler should manage enemies: first by strategic division, and later—when the moment is ripe—by measured, quiet enforcement.