Shloka 4
Bala and Dharma in Kṣatriya Governance (बल-धर्म सम्बन्धः)
भीष्म उवाच बाह्याश्चेद् विजिगीषु: स्याद् धर्मार्थकुशल: शुचि: । जवेन संधि कुर्वीत पूर्व भुक्तान् विमोचयेत्
bhīṣma uvāca bāhyāś ced vijigīṣuḥ syād dharmārthakuśalaḥ śuciḥ | javena sandhiṃ kurvīta pūrvabhuktān vimocayet ||
毗湿摩说道：“大王啊，若那欲求征服者乃外邦之君，行止清净，且善于运用达摩之道与治国之术，则当迅速与之缔结盟约。若先祖旧享之村落城镇落入侵略者之手，当设法收复——以柔和、和解之辞劝谕于他。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma advises pragmatic, ethically informed kingship: when facing a capable and morally disciplined external aggressor, prioritize swift diplomacy (sandhi) and use conciliatory persuasion to regain former holdings rather than rushing into destructive conflict.
In Bhishma’s instruction on rajadharma in the Shanti Parva, he outlines a policy response for a king confronted by an outside conqueror: make a quick treaty, then attempt to recover lost ancestral villages and towns through sweet, persuasive negotiation.