Sutra 17
दीर्घकान्तारमनुदकं यवसेन्धनोदकहीनं वा कृच्छ्राध्वानमभियोगप्रस्कन्नं क्षुत्पिपासाध्वक्लान्तं पङ्कतोयगम्भीराणां वा नदीदरीशैलानामुद्यानापयाने व्यासक्तमेकायनमार्गे शैलविषमे संकटे वा बहुलीभूतं निवेशे प्रस्थिते विसम्नाहं भोजनव्यासक्तमायतगतपरिश्रान्तमवसुप्तं व्याधिमरकदुर्भिक्षपीडितं व्याधितपत्त्यश्वद्विपमभूमिष्ठं वा बलव्यसनेषु वा स्वसैन्यं रक्षेत्परसैन्यं चाभिहन्यात् ॥ कZ_१०.२.१७ ॥
dīrghakāntāramanudakaṃ yavasendhanodakahīnaṃ vā kṛcchrādhvānamabhiyogapraskannaṃ kṣutpipāsādhvaklāntaṃ paṅkatoyagambhīrāṇāṃ vā nadīdarīśailānāmudyānāpayāne vyāsaktamekāyanamārge śailaviṣame saṃkaṭe vā bahulībhūtaṃ niveśe prasthite visamnāhaṃ bhojanavyāsaktamāyatagatapariśrāntamavasuptaṃ vyādhimarakadurbhikṣapīḍitaṃ vyādhitapattyaśvadvipamabhūmiṣṭhaṃ vā balavyasaneṣu vā svasainyaṃ rakṣet parasainyaṃ cābhihanyāt
He should protect his own army and strike the enemy army when it is impaired—such as when it is on a long forest-route without water; lacking fodder, fuel, or water; forced into a hard march; pressed by operations; exhausted by hunger, thirst, and travel; bogged down at muddy or deep waters; delayed at crossings of rivers, ravines, mountains, parks, or narrow approaches; crowded on a single-road route; caught in rugged mountain defiles or constricted passes; dispersed while encamping or departing; ill-prepared; absorbed in eating; worn out after long movement; asleep; afflicted by disease, mortality, or famine; with sick infantry, horses, or elephants; when not established on suitable ground; or during any major force-distress.
FAQs
Preserve one’s own force while exploiting the enemy’s temporary incapacity created by logistics, terrain, fatigue, or disorder.
It functions as an operational checklist for commanders to recognize windows of advantage and avoid them for their own troops.