Dhritarashtra's Counsel on Statecraft

Verse 1 (15.8.1)

सन्धिविग्रहमप्यत्र पश्येथा राजसत्तम । द्वियोनिं विविधोपायं बहुकल्पं युधिष्ठिर ॥

sandhivigrahamapyatra paśyethā rājasattama | dviyoniṃ vividhopāyaṃ bahukalpaṃ yudhiṣṭhira

Consider also, best of kings, peace and war: they are of two kinds, with many means and many variations, O Yudhishthira.

Verse 2 (15.8.2)

कौरव्य पर्युपासीथाः स्थित्वा द्वैविध्यमात्मनः । तुष्टपुष्टजनः शत्रुरर्थवानिति च स्मरेत् ॥

kauravya paryupāsīthāḥ sthitvā dvaividhyamātmanaḥ | tuṣṭapuṣṭajanaḥ śatrurarthavāniti ca smaret

O Kaurava, you should besiege an enemy while standing firm, keeping in view the twofold condition of yourself (your strength and your weakness); and the king should remember that an enemy whose people are content and well fed is a wealthy one.

Verse 3 (15.8.3)

पर्युपासनकाले तु विपरीतं विधीयते । आमर्दकाले राजेन्द्र व्यवसायस्ततोऽपरः ॥

paryupāsanakāle tu viparītaṃ vidhīyate | āmardakāle rājendra vyavasāyastato'paraḥ

At the time of laying siege, one course is prescribed; at the time of crushing the enemy, O best of kings, the resolve is different again.

Verse 4 (15.8.4)

व्यसनं भेदनं चैव शत्रूणां कारयेत्ततः । कर्षणं भीषणं चैव युद्धे चैव बहुक्षयम् ॥

vyasanaṃ bhedanaṃ caiva śatrūṇāṃ kārayettataḥ | karṣaṇaṃ bhīṣaṇaṃ caiva yuddhe caiva bahukṣayam

Then he should bring calamity and dissension upon his enemies, wear them down and terrify them, and in war inflict heavy losses on them.

Verse 5 (15.8.5)

प्रयास्यमानो नृपतिस्त्रिविधं परिचिन्तयेत् । आत्मनश्चैव शत्रोश्च शक्तिं शास्त्रविशारदः ॥

prayāsyamāno nṛpatistrividhaṃ paricintayet | ātmanaścaiva śatrośca śaktiṃ śāstraviśāradaḥ

A king who is about to march, learned in the treatises, should consider in three respects the strength of himself and of his enemy.

Verse 6 (15.8.6)

उत्साहप्रभुशक्तिभ्यां मन्त्रशक्त्या च भारत । उपपन्नो नृपो यायाद्विपरीतं च वर्जयेत् ॥

utsāhaprabhuśaktibhyāṃ mantraśaktyā ca bhārata | upapanno nṛpo yāyādviparītaṃ ca varjayet

O Bharata, a king endowed with the power of energy, the power of sovereignty and the power of counsel may march; and he should avoid the opposite case.

Verse 7 (15.8.7)

आददीत बलं राजा मौलं मित्रबलं तथा । अटवीबलं भृतं चैव तथा श्रेणीबलं प्रभो ॥

ādadīta balaṃ rājā maulaṃ mitrabalaṃ tathā | aṭavībalaṃ bhṛtaṃ caiva tathā śreṇībalaṃ prabho

The king should gather his forces: the hereditary force, the force of allies, the forest force, the hired force, and then, O lord, the force of guilds.

Note on the text: Corrected तता → तथा (misprint in Wikisource; तता is not a word; the critical edition (15.12.7c) has तथा).

Verse 8 (15.8.8)

मित्रामित्रबलं राजन्न्यायाद्वृद्ध्युदये धृतः । तत्र मित्रबलं राजन्मौलं चैव विशिष्यते । श्रेणीबलं भृतं चैव तुल्ये एवेति मे मतिः ॥

mitrāmitrabalaṃ rājannyāyādvṛddhyudaye dhṛtaḥ | tatra mitrabalaṃ rājanmaulaṃ caiva viśiṣyate | śreṇībalaṃ bhṛtaṃ caiva tulye eveti me matiḥ

The strength of friends and of enemies, O king, is reckoned by rule at the rising of prosperity. Among these, O king, the force of allies and the hereditary force stand out; the guild force and the hired force are, in my judgement, equal.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (a backtick and quote round the first line, which Wikisource sets off as an inserted line). Line 1 is not in the critical edition (vulgate recension only); lines 2-3 = CE 15.12.8a,c (Wikisource reads मौलं चैव विशिष्यते where the CE has मौलेन न विशिष्यते, a recension variant). The text of line 1 (धृतः, masculine) is as printed.

Verse 9 (15.8.9)

तथाऽऽचारबलं चैव परस्परसमं नृप । विज्ञेयं बलकालेषु राज्ञा काल उपस्थिते ॥

tathā''cārabalaṃ caiva parasparasamaṃ nṛpa | vijñeyaṃ balakāleṣu rājñā kāla upasthite

In the same way the force of custom (good conduct) ranks equal to the others, O king; the king must understand these forces, in their seasons of use, when the time has come.

Verse 10 (15.8.10)

आपदश्चापि बोद्धव्या बहुरूपा नराधिप । भवन्ति राज्ञा कौरव्य यास्ताः पृथगतः शृणु ॥

āpadaścāpi boddhavyā bahurūpā narādhipa | bhavanti rājñā kauravya yāstāḥ pṛthagataḥ śṛṇu

The calamities too, O ruler of men, must be understood; they come to kings in many forms, O Kaurava. Hear them one by one.

Verse 11 (15.8.11)

विकल्पा बहुधा राजन्नापदां पाण्डुनन्दन । सामादिभिरुपन्यस्य गमयेत्तान्नृपः सदा ॥

vikalpā bahudhā rājannāpadāṃ pāṇḍunandana | sāmādibhirupanyasya gamayettānnṛpaḥ sadā

There are many kinds of calamity, O king, O son of Pandu. Having laid them out, the king should always dispel them by conciliation and the other means.

Verse 12 (15.8.12)

यात्रां गच्छेद्बलैर्युक्तो राजा षड्भिः परंतप । युक्तश्च देशकालाभ्यां बलैरात्मगुणैस्तथा ॥

yātrāṃ gacchedbalairyukto rājā ṣaḍbhiḥ paraṃtapa | yuktaśca deśakālābhyāṃ balairātmaguṇaistathā

A king should set out on a campaign furnished with the six kinds of forces, O scourge of foes, suited to place and time, and possessed of forces and personal qualities.

Verse 13 (15.8.13)

हृष्टपुष्टबलो गच्छेद्राजा वृद्ध्युदये रतः । अकृशश्चाप्यथो यायादनृतावपि पाण्डव ॥

hṛṣṭapuṣṭabalo gacchedrājā vṛddhyudaye rataḥ | akṛśaścāpyatho yāyādanṛtāvapi pāṇḍava

Let the king march with his troops cheerful and well fed, intent on rising prosperity, and himself not emaciated; and, O Pandava, he may march even out of season.

Verse 14 (15.8.14)

तूणाश्मानं वाजिरथप्रवाहां । ध्वजद्रुमैः संवृतकूलरोधसम् । पदातिनागैर्बहुकर्दमां नदीं । सपत्ननाशे नृपतिः प्रयोजयेत् ॥

tūṇāśmānaṃ vājirathapravāhāṃ | dhvajadrumaiḥ saṃvṛtakūlarodhasam | padātināgairbahukardamāṃ nadīṃ | sapatnanāśe nṛpatiḥ prayojayet

For the destruction of his enemies the king should send forth a 'river' (an array) whose stones are quivers, whose current is horses and chariots, whose banks and shores are hemmed in by banner-trees, and which is thick with the mud of foot-soldiers and elephants.

Note on the text: Corrected सपत्नानाशे → सपत्ननाशे (misprint in Wikisource; an extra long ā; the critical edition (15.12.14d) has सपत्ननाशे).

Verse 15 (15.8.15)

अथोपपत्त्या शकटं पद्मवज्रं च भारत । उशना वेद यच्छास्त्रं तत्रैतद्विहितं विभो ॥

athopapattyā śakaṭaṃ padmavajraṃ ca bhārata | uśanā veda yacchāstraṃ tatraitadvihitaṃ vibho

Moreover, O Bharata, there are the cart, the lotus and the thunderbolt arrays by suitable device; what Ushanas knows as the science of war prescribes these, O lord.

Verse 16 (15.8.16)

चारयित्वा परबलं कृत्वा स्वबलदर्शनम् । स्वभूमौ योजयेद्युद्धं परभूमौ तथैव च ॥

cārayitvā parabalaṃ kṛtvā svabaladarśanam | svabhūmau yojayedyuddhaṃ parabhūmau tathaiva ca

Having had the enemy's force scouted and having shown his own force, he should join battle on his own ground, or likewise on the enemy's ground.

Verse 17 (15.8.17)

बलं प्रसादयेद्राजा निक्षिपेद्बलिनो नरान् । ज्ञात्वा स्वविषयं तत्र सामादिभिरुपक्रमेत् ॥

balaṃ prasādayedrājā nikṣipedbalino narān | jñātvā svaviṣayaṃ tatra sāmādibhirupakramet

The king should keep his army contented and post strong men; and, knowing his own territory, he should then set to work by conciliation and the other means.

Note on the text: Corrected बलनो → बलिनो (misprint in Wikisource; बलनो cannot agree with नरान्; the sense is "strong men" (the critical edition, 15.12.17b, has धनिनो)).

Verse 18 (15.8.18)

सर्वथैव महाराज शरीरं धारयेदिह । प्रेत्य चेह च कर्तव्यमात्मनिःश्रेयसं परम् ॥

sarvathaiva mahārāja śarīraṃ dhārayediha | pretya ceha ca kartavyamātmaniḥśreyasaṃ param

By every means, great king, he should preserve his body here; for in the next world and in this, one's own highest good is what is to be pursued.

Verse 19 (15.8.19)

एवं कुर्वञ्शुभा वाचो लोकेऽस्मिञ्शृणु ते नृप । प्रेत्य स्वर्गमवाप्नोति प्रजा धर्मेण पालयन् ॥

evaṃ kurvañśubhā vāco loke'smiñśṛṇu te nṛpa | pretya svargamavāpnoti prajā dharmeṇa pālayan

If you act in this way, O king, listen: good report will be yours in this world, and a king who protects his subjects with dharma gains heaven after death.

Note on the text: Corrected धर्मेणि → धर्मेण (misprint in Wikisource; stray ि; instrumental of धर्म).

Verse 20 (15.8.20)

एवं त्वया कुरुश्रेष्ठ वर्तितव्यं प्रजासु वै । उभयोर्लोकयोस्तात प्राप्तये नित्यमेव हि ॥

evaṃ tvayā kuruśreṣṭha vartitavyaṃ prajāsu vai | ubhayorlokayostāta prāptaye nityameva hi

In this way, best of the Kurus, you must always conduct yourself towards your subjects, my son, for the attainment of both worlds.

Verse 21 (15.8.21)

भीष्मेण सर्वमुक्तोसि कृष्णेन विदुरेण च । मयाऽप्यवश्यं वक्तव्यं प्रीत्या ते नृपसत्तम ॥

bhīṣmeṇa sarvamuktosi kṛṣṇena vidureṇa ca | mayā'pyavaśyaṃ vaktavyaṃ prītyā te nṛpasattama

Bhishma, Krishna and Vidura have told you all of this; still I too must speak to you, out of affection, best of kings.

Verse 22 (15.8.22)

एतत्सर्वं यथान्यायं कुर्वीथा भूरिदक्षिण । प्रियस्तथा प्रजानां त्वं स्वर्गे सुखमवाप्स्यसि ॥

etatsarvaṃ yathānyāyaṃ kurvīthā bhūridakṣiṇa | priyastathā prajānāṃ tvaṃ svarge sukhamavāpsyasi

Do all this as is proper, O giver of rich gifts. Dear to your subjects, you will find happiness in heaven.

Verse 23 (15.8.23)

अश्वमेधसहस्रेण यो यजेत्पृथिवीपतिः । पालयेद्वाऽपि धर्मेण प्रजास्तुल्यं फलं लभेत् ॥

aśvamedhasahasreṇa yo yajetpṛthivīpatiḥ | pālayedvā'pi dharmeṇa prajāstulyaṃ phalaṃ labhet

A king who performs a thousand horse sacrifices, and one who protects his subjects with dharma, would obtain equal fruit.

Note on the text: Corrected धर्मेणि → धर्मेण (misprint in Wikisource; stray ि; instrumental of धर्म).