Shloka 40
Śaraṇāgatapālana—Prastāvanā
Protection of the Refuge-Seeker: Opening of the Kapota Narrative
चारस्त्वविदित: कार्य आत्मनो5थ परस्य च | पाषण्डांस्तापसादीं श्र परराष्टरे प्रवेशयेत्
cāras tv aviditaḥ kārya ātmanaḥ atha parasya ca | pāṣaṇḍāṁs tāpasādīn śatru-pararāṣṭre praveśayet ||
毗湿摩说道：当任用不为人知、难以辨认的密探，既在本国境内，也在对方（敌国）境内。于敌国与异邦之地，应派遣伪装成异端之徒或苦行僧等的人作为间谍潜入，以便在不引起疑心的情况下搜集情报。此言将治国之术视为谨慎的职责：护国或需隐秘，但其所向当为安保，而非恣意加害。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king should maintain an intelligence system using agents who are not publicly known, and in hostile or foreign territories such agents may adopt socially credible disguises (like ascetics) to gather information discreetly; the aim is protection of the realm through prudent vigilance.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma advises Yudhiṣṭhira on practical governance, specifically how to deploy spies in one’s own kingdom and infiltrate enemy lands using inconspicuous, trusted-looking personas.