30. Aggrandisement of self and downfall of the foe, -this much is polity ( i.e.., this is what polity consists in). Holding this principle, the wise write diffuse learned disquisitions on political questions.
31. “The great are not satisfied with even the highest greatness. An instance of this is the ocean, which though full, is eager for the rise of the moon.
32. “Fate, thinking that its has done it work, does not increase the fortune of a man, who fancies himself secure, even though that fortune he very small.
33. “Men of proud spirit do not rise without having-first extirpated their enemies. An instance thereof is the sun ( who rises only after he has ) completely destroyed the pitchy darkness.
34. “Stability is, indeed, difficult to attain, until the enemy is first extirpated. Water does not come to a stand-still, until it has reduced dust to mud.
35. “Whence ( can there be ) happiness, as long an even single enemy lives? Râhu ( ht., the son of Simhikâ toiments the moon in the very presence of the gods.
36. “An acquired friend and a factitious foe deserve serious consideration, for they may be turned by deeds ( or by service or disservice ) into enemy and friend respectively; so may also natural friends or foes viz: those by blood-relationship and those by the position of the territories.
37. “Peace can be made with an enemy that has done you a service, but never with a friend that has injured you. Obligation and injury are respectively their distinguishing marks.
38. “You have, O Hari, wronged the king of Chedi by carrying off Rukminî. For women are the great root of the tree of enmity, that takes very firm root.
39. “When you went to conquer Bhaurua (Naraka ), he besieged this city, just as darkness envelops the slope of Meru, when the sun has left it.
40. “It should not even be mentioned that he abducted the wife of Babhru, since even a mention of sinners is enough to lead to evil.
41. “The son of Srutas ravas is turned into our enemy, as he has been wronged by you and has ( in his turn ) wronged us in many ways 42. “Those men who remain supine, having made enmity with an irate foe, do, in fact, lie facing the wind, having thrown fire into a dried up thicket 43. “A man who is forgiving may, indeed, put up with wrongs, either slight or not often repeated. But who would remain patient, when subjected to grave and repeated wrongs?
“.— “At other times, forbearance is an ornament to men as bashfulness is to women; but when insulted, spirited action ( is an ornament to men ) as boldness is to women on occasions of sexual intercourse.
45. “Better that person had not been living, who continues to live though burnt by insults from others. He has only caused throes of labour to his mother and may very well cease to exist.
46. “Even the dust, that rises and settles on the head when trodden by feet, is better than the embodied beings who remain calm, even when insulted.
47. “The birth of that man, who does not achieve some end by means of his caste, actions, and qualities, is only for receiving a proper name that does not signify any class, action or quality ( i.e.., serves the purpose of only naming a person).
48. “Loftiness ( also, nobility ) is to be found in a mountain, but not the other, Unfathomability ( also, depth) there is in the ocean, but not this one. Both these which make one formidable ( lit., not exposed to insults ) are to be found in men of high spirit.
49. “That Rahu swallows the sun after a long time ( i, e., at long intervals ), but the moon quickly ( i.e.., a short intervals ), is clearly the consequence ( lit., fruit ) of mildness ( of the latter ).
50. “As light grass before the wind, a mean person bends, of himself, before even an insignificant enemy. He is thus a type of those that are utterly worthless ( also, that have no stuff or substance ).
51. “A man of fiery spirit, though far away, is counted among the spirited. So to one doing penance with fires, the sun ( though far away ) is the fifth fire.
52. “How can fame, without any foot-hold, ascend to heaven without having planted, with ease, her foot on the high heads of enemies?
53. “The moon, who holds a deer in his lap, is (branded as ) deer-stained; while the lion who ruthlessly kills herds of deer is ( glorified as ) the king of deer ( or beasts ).
54. “Towards an enemy who ought to be reduced by the fourth expedient, adoption of pacific policy is injurious to one’s interests. Who that is wise would give a cold-water bath to a person suffering from an acute fever that requires sweating?
55. “Negotiations for peace would, on the contrary, inflame him, bitterly hostile as he is already, just as drops of water make the ghee, that is exceedingly heated, blaze up in flames.
56. “They, who in the garb of ministers, imperil the kings’ cause by employing the wrong means (or expedients) are to be condemned as enemies by them.
57. “Some advise expedition when one has grown in power, while others, when the enemy is in sore straits. Both these ( circumstances ) rouse you ( i.e.., ought to rouse you ) to action, unconcerned as you are.
58. “Your forbearance holds back ( lit., obstructs) the invincible hosts of Yâdavas who are eager to conquer the worlds, just as the shore keeps back the mighty, formidable sea, which is eager to (would otherwise) overflow the worlds.
59. “Let victory come to you, yourself remaining a mere looker-on and enjoying the fruits ( of the victory ), just as, according to the Sâmkkya view, all experience that belongs to the Buddki is to be assigned to the soul, who is merely a witness and enjoyer of fruits (of actions, due to Prakriti ).
60. “King Jarasandha ( lit., one born of two mothers ) having been billed in a combat by Bhîma (lit., the enemy of Hidimba ), Ôisupâla (lit, son of Damaghosha) can now be easy subdued, bereft of a friend as he is after a long time.
61. “The policy, vis: that an enemy should be attacked, when in distress, is regarded as ignominious by a proud (or high-spirited) king. To him, an enemy that is in his plenitude of power is a source of joy, as is the moon, when full, to Râhu ( lit., the tormenter of the moon), 62. “Energy that knows no restraint is one thing, and energy to which limits have been set is another. How can there be co-existence of light and darkness in one and the same place?
63. “Let not, therefore, journey to Indraprastha be undertaken. Let the land of the Chedis have its trees dwarfed in the presence of our elephants.
64. “Let Dasarhas ( Yâdavas ) hem in the foes in the city of Mâhishmatî, cutting off supplies and re-inforcements, just as cattle are shut up in a cow-pen, with the ingress and egress of the yokes of milk-pails completely stopped.
65. “Let the son of Pându (Yudhishthira) celebrate the sacrifice; let Indra protect heaven; let the sun shine; let us, likewise, slay our foes. For every one is interested in his own affairs.
66. “Let our weapons, bathed in the blood gushing out at the severence of enemies’ heads, attain the glory of lightnings, by contact with the rays of the sun 67. The deities in the paintings ( on the walls ), as it were, re iterated through fear these words of the excited Balarâma, by ( means of) echoes from the walls of the council-hall.
68. Having heard these words of Sesha (Balurâma), Adhokshaja ( Krishna ) called upon, by a sign of the eye, the son of Brihaspati ( i.e.., Uddhava ) to commence his speech.
69. Thereupon, Uddhava, addressing himself to Krishna ( lit., the elder brother of Gada ), delivered a speech, true and wrighty, in a manner free from presumption and quite becoming a disciple of Utathya.
70. “It is now needless to speak, after what has been said by the Pestle-holder ( Balarâma ). When a matter has been determined ( decided ) by a letter, do not indeed, add a verbal message ( a verbal message is unnecessary ).
71. “Still it is the regard you have for me as an elder that urges me to speak.
72. “Infinite is the variety of language ( or rhetoric ), made up as it is of but a few letters, like that of vocal music, composed as it is of but a few notes.
73. “One can easily deliver a speech that irrelevant
, diffuse though it may be. But a well-knit speech, which is quite pertinent to the subject-matter, is hard to cite.
74. Skilled speakers deliver a speech characterised by striking beauties, couched in a highly polished style but full of solid matter, and possessed of no few merits, even as skilled weavers display an embroidered cloth, ornamented with diverse patterns, soft to touch yet firm its texture, and woven of numerous threads.
75. “That I quote from the works on political science before your deeply learned self, is only to confirm by repetition the knowledge that I, a speaker, have acquired by study.
76. “A sovereign should endeavour to acquire Intellect and Enthusiasm ( i.e. the powers of Counsel and Energy ). For it is these two that are the basis of the personal power of a king who is ambitious of conquests.
77. “Those, who constantly lie on the bed-stead of a firm will, upholstered with sound reasoning, never know what fatigue is.
78. “Men of keen intellect, like an arrow, touch but lightly, but penetrate deep ( with little effort accomplish much ). The dull-witted man ( on the other hand ), like a stone, though covering much, remains outside (though expending great labour, accomplishes but little ).
79. “The ignorant undertake only little, but get much confounded. The wise, on the other hand, undertake great works, but remain quite unperturbed.
80. “One who is careless, though he may adopt the right means, fails in his objects. A hunter, who is sleepy, though he may lie in a covert, never kills any deer.
81. “Of the twelve kings, the ambitions king alone, who does not desist from energetic action, is able to rise, like the Sun ( lit, maker of the day ) among the twelve dityas.
82. “An uncommon personage, indeed, is a king who has his intellect for weapon, the ( seven ) constituent elements of his government for limbs, the impenetrable secrecy of his counsels for armour, his spies for eyes, and his messengers for mouth.
83. “Neither martial ( aggressive ) spirit nor forbearance is the exclusive rule that guides a king who knows what is expedient at a particular time ( or who knows how to bide his time ). Neither the grand style nor perspicuity of diction is exclusively employed by a poet who is skilled in depicting the Rasas ( sentiments ) and the Bhavas ( emotions ).
84. “Though wronged by enemies, never betraying his perturbation of mind, he, growing irresistible, strikes a blow when the proper time comes, even as a disease, that does not show any outward symptoms of aggravation, though treated with improper regimen, becomes incurable and proves fatal, when the crisis has arrived.
85. “High spirit veiled under mildness is capable of achieving its ends. The lamp draws up oil through the wick that lies within.
86. “A wise man does not rely on fatalism alone, nor does he solely depend upon manly exertion. He, possessed of knowledge as he is, looks to both (for help), just as a good poet, possessed of learning, pays attention, both to words and their sense.
87. “Many other kings, of themselves, endeavour to achieve the ends of that one patient and persevering-leader, just as many Sancharibhavas ( evanescen temotions) work for (the development of) the one predominant Rasa ( emotion ).
88. Enemies, like great serpents, are easily subdued by a king ( also, a snake-charmer ) who is conversent with the home as well as foreign affairs ( also, who is skilled in the employment of charms and drugs), and who-establishes his suzerainty over the circles of kings by employing the four expedients of policy, [ also, who occupies the mandalas ( mystical diagrams ) ] by means of meditation ( on the deities invoked ).
89. “The tali tree of energy, having the big root of the power of counsel, bears the fruit of the power of sovereignty, that can be plucked by the hand ( also, that is augmented by tributes ).
90. “Other kings become the attendants of the conqueror, owing to his greatness and pre-eminence, just as the other notes ( of the musical scale ) accompany the Vansha note, on account of the height of its pitch and its being the leading note.
91. “The ends achieved by others are attributed to the overlord, though he may not exert himself, just as sounds, which are generated by other agencies, become the property of the sky ( which itself is quite inactive ).
92. “In the necklace strung with the gems, viz: the enemy to be attacked, the rear-ward enemy and others, on the thread, viz: one common aim, the leader, superior in lustre, becomes the central gem.
93. “A king, ambitious of extending his power, should take the elixir, viz: the six expedients. Thus would his limbs ( in the form of the constituents of government ) grow firm and strong.
94. “Those having limbs (i.e.., kings who have the Prakritis for their limbs ), prosper ( also, become strong), if they employ the expedients (also, if they take exercise ) in the right direction ( also, in a proper place), in accordance with the strength of their ( three ) powers ( also, according to their bodily strength ). An undertaking ( also, exercise ) beyond one’s strength leads to utter ruin ( also, complete break down ).
95. “Do not, therefore, despise the ruler of the Ohedi, who kills his enemies in one step), ( i.e.., instantly), just as the Udatta tone effaces all other tones in the same word ( i.e.., reduces them to Anudâtta or low tone ).
96. “Do not think that the king of Chedi is alone, and can, therefore, be easily vanquished. He is an assemblage of kings, as pthisis is of so many diseases.
97. “Bâna (also, an arrow), who has received benefits from him ( also, which is fitted with a point ), who has many partizans ( also, which is furnished with feathers), and who is capable of rending his enemies ( also, piercing others ), will enter into an alliance with him ( also, will be fitted to a bow ), possessed as he is of excellences ( also, strung ).
98. “And those others, too, such as Kâlayavana, Sâlva, Rukmin and Drama, who are of dark ( i.e.. evil) nature, will follow him, who is so full of evil ( just as darkness follows twilight ).
99. “Even a slight intrigue ( or secret overtures to them ) made by him would soon inflame them, already hostile as they are to you, as the wind sets ablaze smouldering fire.
100. “Even an insignificant person, who has powerful friends, attains the end of his work ( i.e.., accomplishes his end ). A mountain-stream, by joining with a big river, reaches the ocean.
101. “When he is attacked by you, those (kings) who are his friends and those who are your enemies, — both these groups will go over to him, and the rest will join you.
102. “Having thus raised up the whole host of kings only to abstract the sacrifice, you will have, alas! become the first enemy of him who has known no enemy ( i.e.., Yudhishthira ).
103. “Counting upon you as a friend, with shoulders capable of hearing a great burden, Dharmarâja, your kinsman as he is, hopes to sustain the responsibility of the sacrifice.
104. “Noble-minded men oblige even enemies who «eek their favour. Great rivers lead to the ocean even their co-wives, the mountain-rivulets.
105. “Use of force towards enemies may succeed in course of time ( sooner or later ); but friends, once alienated, are difficult to be won back even by humouring.
106. “If you think that slaying the enemy would please the gods, then ( I say that ) the sacrifice itself is far better calculated to gratify the gods who feed upon the Purodasa offering.
107. “That ( offering ) alone, which those, who are conversant with rites, cast into the sacrificial fires ( lit., those that have Mantras for tongues ), is really the nectar. The description of the churning of the ocean, with mount Mandara as the churning-rod, is only a poetic beauty (or a beautiful poetic conceit ).
108. “You should respect your promise to your father’s sister, worthy of respect, viz:, that you would put up with a hundred wrongs perpetrated by her son.
109. “The intellect of a righteous man is keen, yet it never cuts the vitals of others; his activity is highly energetic, yet never influenced by passion; his heart is full of warmth (or zeal), yet never causes pain (to others);, he has the gift of speech, yet he has but one spee
ch ( i.e.., he keeps his word ).
110. “You cannot, without reaching the limit of the promised period, slay him whom you yourself have shown favour, just as the sun, who gives, of himself, light to the day, cannot bring it to a close, before he has reached the end of the due period ( of twelve hours ).
111. “Let spies, skilled in their work, obtain a footing among ( insinuate themselves into the hearts of) the principal officers of the enemy ( also, place their feet in the sacred waters ), and thus sound the depths of the water in the form of the enemy.
112. That state-craft in which no spies are employed would never succeed, though no step is taken in it that is not in accordance with the maxims of politics, though it may give good salaries and grants of property (to the king’s servants), just as the science of Grammar,. with the Paspas « removed from it, would lose its importance, even though it may have the Nyasa bringing all words under the Sûtras, the excellent Vritti, and the learned Bhashya.
113. “Let spies, concealing their own insidious character, yet discovering the weak points of others, and receiving pay from both, alienate the counsellors of the enemy from him, by producing forged letters ( or orders in writing ).
114. “Let all the kings be made, by your resourceful spies, to go, with one and the same object, to the capital of Ajàtasatru.
115. “When Pându’s son ( Yudhishthira ) would pay special respect to you, your jealous and fickle enemies would, of themselves, assume a hostile attitude.
116. “Here, among the enemies, those kings who know themselves would, even though they have risen with him, secede from their alliance with him, like cuckoos separating themselves from a flock of crows.
117. “May the assemblage of enemies, arrogant in their natural wickedness ( also, raised up by their natural restlessness), and with their inconstant and weak partisans ( also, with their wings constantly moving and therefore, weakened ), become a flight of locusts in the fire of your resistless prowess 118. Having heard this speech of Uddhava, Hari rose from his high seat,-speech that had analysed the whole question, that was in strict accordance with the principles of polities, that was (as it were) a bar against bad policy, that filled him with joy, and that was heard by S’ri ( Lakshmî), who is ever present on his broad and high bosom.
The Sanskrit Epics Page 956