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vāmadeva uvāca॥
Vāmadeva said.
ayuddhenaiva vijayaṃ vardhayed vasudhādhipaḥ। jaghanyam āhur vijayaṃ yo yuddhena narādhipaḥ॥12-95-1॥
The king should strive to achieve victory through non-violent means; victory gained by war is considered the lowest kind.
na cāpy alabdhaṃ lipseta mūle nātidṛḍhe sati। na hi durbalamūlasya rājño lābho vidhīyate ॥12-95-2॥
One should not seek what has not been attained if the foundation is not strong; for a king whose foundation is weak, success cannot be achieved.
yasya sphīto janapadaḥ sampannaḥ priyarājakaḥ। santuṣṭapuṣṭasacivo dṛḍhamūlaḥ sa pārthivaḥ ॥12-95-3॥
He is the true king whose country is prosperous and endowed, whose rule is dear to the people, whose ministers are content and nourished, and whose foundation is firm.
yasya yodhāḥ susantuṣṭāḥ sāntvitāḥ sūpadhāsthitāḥ। alpenāpi sa daṇḍena mahīṃ jayati bhūmipaḥ॥12-95-4॥
A king whose warriors are content, pacified, and well-settled in their positions, even with little discipline, conquers the earth.
paurajanapadā yasya svanuraktāḥ supūjitāḥ। sadhanā dhānyavantaś ca dṛḍhamūlaḥ sa pārthivaḥ ॥12-95-5॥
He is the king whose townsmen and countrymen are devoted to him, well-honored, prosperous, possessing grain, and firmly established.
prabhāvakālāvadhikau yadā manyeta cātmanaḥ। tadā lipseta medhāvī parabhūmiṃ dhanānyuta ॥12-95-6॥
When a person realizes that their influence and lifespan are limited, then the wise should seek to acquire the lands and wealth of others.
bhogeṣvadayamānasya bhūteṣu ca dayāvataḥ। vardhate tvaramāṇasya viṣayo rakṣitātmanaḥ ॥12-95-7॥
For one who is not attached to enjoyments and is compassionate towards beings, the objects of enjoyment increase quickly for the self-controlled person.
takṣaty ātmānam eva eṣa vanaṃ paraśunā yathā। yaḥ samyag vartamāneṣu sveṣu mithyā pravartate ॥12-95-8॥
Just as a person cuts down a forest with an axe, so too does one destroy oneself by acting wrongly in one's own present circumstances.
na vai dviṣantaḥ kṣīyante rājño nityam api ghnataḥ। krodhaṃ niyantuṃ yo veda tasya dveṣṭā na vidyate॥12-95-9॥
Those who hate are not always destroyed by the king, even if he strikes constantly. For the one who knows how to restrain anger, there is no one who hates him.
yad ārya-jana-vidviṣṭaṃ karma tan nācared budhaḥ। yat kalyāṇam abhidhyāyet tatra ātmānaṃ niyojayet ॥12-95-10॥
A wise person should not perform actions that are disliked by noble people. One should contemplate what is auspicious and engage oneself in that.
nainam anye'vajānanti nātmanā paritapyate। kṛtyaśeṣeṇa yo rājā sukhāny anububhūṣati ॥12-95-11॥
The king who wishes to enjoy pleasures without fulfilling his remaining duties is neither despised by others nor tormented by his own self.
idaṃ vṛttaṃ manuṣyeṣu vartate yo mahīpatiḥ। ubhau lokau vinirjitya vijaye sampratiṣṭhate ॥12-95-12॥
This is what happens among men: the king who conquers both worlds establishes himself in victory.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
ityukto vāmadevena sarvaṃ tatkṛtvān nṛpaḥ। tathā kurvan tvam apy etau lokau jetā na saṃśayaḥ॥12-95-13॥
Thus, when Vāmadeva had spoken, the king did everything as instructed. In the same way, if you act, you too will conquer both worlds; there is no doubt about it.
