Shloka 12
कालविभाग-निरूपणं तथा युद्धव्यवस्था
Time-Reckoning and Mobilization Counsel
ते वा गाश्चानयिष्यन्ति यदि वा स्यु: पराजिता: । अस्मान् वा ह्ुपसंधाय कुर्युर्मत्स्येन संगतम्,वे त्रिगर्त-सैनिक गौओंको यहाँ ले आयेंगे अथवा यदि परास्त हो गये, तो हमलोगोंसे मिलकर पुनः मत्स्यराजके साथ युद्ध करेंगे
te vā gāś cānayiṣyanti yadi vā syuḥ parājitāḥ | asmān vā hy upasaṃdhāya kuryur matsyena saṅgatam ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Entweder werden sie das Vieh hierher bringen; oder, wenn sie besiegt werden, werden sie sich mit uns zusammenschließen und dann den Zusammenstoß mit dem König von Matsya erneuern.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights pragmatic wartime reasoning: success is measured either by achieving the objective (recovering/bringing the cattle) or, if thwarted, by regrouping and renewing the effort through alliance—showing how conflicts can escalate through strategic consolidation rather than immediate withdrawal.
Vaiśampāyana describes the anticipated outcome of a raid/expedition involving cattle: the raiders will either succeed in bringing the cattle, or, if defeated, they will join forces with the speaker’s side and then engage the Matsya king again in battle.