Shloka 28
सैन्यसंनिवेशः (Sainyasaṃniveśaḥ) — Deployment, Omens, and Yuddha-Dharma Conventions
वाचा युद्धप्रवृत्तानां वाचैव प्रतियोधनम् । निष्क्रान्ता: पृतनामध्यान्न हन्तव्या: कदाचन
vāca yuddhapravṛttānāṁ vācāiva pratiyodhanam | niṣkrāntāḥ pṛtanāmadhyān na hantavyāḥ kadācana ||
قال فايشَمبايانا: «من خاض حربًا بالكلام وحده فليُجابَه بالكلام وحده. ومن خرج من بين صفوف الجيش فلا يُقتَل أبدًا.» تُقيم هذه الأبيات سلوك الميدان على الكفّ والوقار: فلا تُجابَه منازلات اللسان بالسلاح، ومن تنحّى عن كتلة القتال يُعصَم دمه.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches dharma-yuddha restraint: verbal provocation should be met verbally, not with weapons, and a person who has stepped out from the battle formation is not to be slain.
In the opening of Bhīṣma Parva, Vaiśaṃpāyana recounts norms of righteous warfare being articulated—guidelines that distinguish fair combat from cruelty, emphasizing proportional response and protection of those who have withdrawn.