Shloka 9
Nīti-upadeśa to a Rājaputra: Self-restraint, Alliances, and Rival-Management (नीतिउपदेशः)
तेनैव त्वं धृतिमता श्रीमता चाभिसत्कृत:
tenaiva tvaṁ dhṛtimatā śrīmatā cābhisatkṛtaḥ | āntaraiḥ bhedayitvārīn bilvaṁ bilvena bhedaya ||
毗湿摩说道：“凭此之道，你将为坚忍而富盛的阇那迦王所礼遇。王以应有之敬接纳你时，你便为众人所信，声名显赫。其后，聚集盟友之兵，咨议良臣，借敌之亲近之人于其阵中播下离间——以毕罗婆果裂毕罗婆果：使敌人因其自身所倚之助而自取覆亡。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches pragmatic rāja-nīti: after securing honorable patronage and public trust, a ruler should act with deliberation—consult ministers, consolidate allies, and weaken hostile forces by inducing internal division through the enemy’s own insiders, i.e., neutralize opposition using its own dependencies rather than relying only on open force.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction within the Śānti Parva, he points the listener toward King Janaka’s support and hospitality. Once the listener gains standing and credibility, Bhīṣma advises assembling friendly forces and, through careful counsel, orchestrating a split in the enemy camp via their confidants—summed up by the proverb ‘split the bilva with a bilva.’