Vaisampayana said, "Then Saradwata's son, Kripa said, 'What the aged
Bhishma hath said concerning the Pandavas is reasonable, suited to the
occasion, consistent with virtue and profit, agreeable to the ear,
fraught with sound reason, and worthy of him. Listen also to what I
would say on this subject. It behoveth thee to ascertain the track they
have followed and their abode also by means of spies,[23] and to adopt
that policy which may bring about thy welfare. O child, he that is
solicitous of his welfare should not disregard even an ordinary foe.
What shall I say, then, O child, of the Pandavas who are thorough
masters of all weapons in battle. When, therefore, the time cometh for
the reappearance of the high-souled Pandavas, who, having entered the
forest,[24] are now passing their days in close disguise, thou shouldst
ascertain thy strength both in thy own kingdom and in those of other
kings. Without doubt, the return of the Pandavas is at hand. When their
promised term of exile is over, the illustrious and mighty sons of
Pritha, endued with immeasurable prowess, will come hither bursting with
energy. Do thou, therefore, in order to conclude an advantageous treaty
with them, have recourse to sound policy and address thyself to increase
thy forces and improve thy treasury. O child, ascertaining all these,
reckon thou thy own strength in respect of all thy allies weak and
strong.[25] Ascertaining the efficiency, and weakness, and indifference
of thy forces, as also who amongst them are well-affected and who are
disaffected, we should either fight the foe or make treaty with him.
Having recourse to the arts of conciliation, disunion, chastisement,
bribery, presents and fair behaviour, attack thy foes and subdue the
weak by might, and win over thy allies and troops and by soft speeches.
When thou hast (by these means) strengthened thy army and filled thy
treasury, entire success will be thine. When thou hast done all this,
thou wilt be able to fight with powerful enemies that may present
themselves, let alone the sons of Pandu deficient in troops and animals
of their own. By adopting all these expedients according to the customs
of thy order, thou wilt, O foremost of men, attain enduring happiness in
due time!'"
[23] The word _tirtha_ here means, as Nilakantha rightly
explains spies and not holy spots.
[24] _Satram_ is explained by Nilakantha to mean here 'false
disguise.' I think, however, such an interpretation to be
far-fetched. It evidently means 'forest',--the use of
'pravisteshu' in connection with it almost settles the point.
[25] This sloka is not correctly printed in any of the texts
that I have seen. The reading that I adopt is that the second
word is the participle of the root _budh_ and not the
instrumental of _budhi_; the last word again of the second line
is a compound of _valavatsu_ and _avaleshu_ instead of (as
printed in many books) _valavatswavaleshu_. Any other reading
would certainly be incorrect. I have not consulted the Bombay
text.