345.  The true policy, therefore, is to wait for the time when the foe becomes weak.

346.  Mridustikshnena is better than Mridutikshnena.

347.  A bird that is identified by Dr. Wilson with the Parra Jacana.

348.  In India, the commonest form of verbal abuse among ignorant men and women is ‘Do thou meet with death,’ or, ‘Go thou to Yama’s house.’  What Bhishma says is that as these words are uttered in vain, even so the verbal accusations of wicked men prove perfectly abortive.

349.  The Burdwan Pundits have totally misunderstood the first line of this verse.  K.P.  Singha has rendered it correctly.

350.  A dog is an unclean animal in Hindu estimation.

351.  The antithesis consists, as pointed out by Nilakantha, is this, viz., the man of high birth, even if ruined undeservedly, would not injure his master.  The man however, that is of low birth, would become the foe of oven a kind master if only a few words of censure be addressed to him.

352.  Nilakantha explains that na nirddandvah means na nishparigrahah.

353. i.e., ’speak in brief of them, or give us an abridgment of thy elaborate discourses.’

354. i.e., as the commentator explains, keenness, when he punishes and harmlessness when he shows favour.

355. i.e., ’should assume the qualities (such as keenness, etc.), necessary for his object.’  K.P.  Singha’s version of the last line of 8 is erroneous.  The Burdwan version is right.

356.  Vrihadvrikshamivasravat is explained by Nilakantha as Vrihantak Vrikshah Yatra; asravat is explained as rasamprasravat.  I think Vrihadvriksham may be taken as a full-grown Palmyra (1) tree.  The sense is that as men always draw the juice from a full-grown tree and ’lot from a young one, even so the king should take care as to how taxes should be laid upon subjects that are unable to bear them.

357. i.e., by tempering with the governors of the citadels and the garrisons of his foes, as the commentator explains.

358. i.e., that king who is vain and covetous.

359.  Whether it belongs to himself or to any other person.

360.  The sense seems to be that a king should always be guided by the precepts of the science of king-craft without depending upon chance.

361. i.e., he who earns religious merit is sure to obtain such regions; and as great merit may be acquired by properly discharging kingly duties one may, by such conduct, win much felicity hereafter.

362.  Vyavahara is vi and avahara, hence that through which all kinds of misappropriation are stopped.  It is a name applied to Law and administration of justice.

363.  The commentator, in a long note, gives very fanciful explanations touching every one of these peculiarities of form.  He understands Mrigaraja to mean the black antelope.  I cannot reject the obvious meaning of the word.  The object of the poet is simply to create a form that is frightful.