Shloka 31
सैन्यसंनिवेशः (Sainyasaṃniveśaḥ) — Deployment, Omens, and Yuddha-Dharma Conventions
एकेन सह संयुक्त: प्रपन्नो विमुखस्तथा । क्षीणशस्त्रो विवर्मा च न हन्तव्य: कदाचन
ekena saha saṁyuktaḥ prapanno vimukhas tathā | kṣīṇaśastro vivarmā ca na hantavyaḥ kadācana ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: One who fights with only a single opponent, or who has sought refuge, or who has turned his back and fled, and also one whose weapons are spent and whose armour is gone—such a man should never be slain. This is a rule of righteous warfare: victory must not be pursued by killing the helpless or the surrendered.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The core teaching is dharma-yuddha (righteous warfare): do not kill an opponent who is effectively helpless—one fighting only a single duel, one who has surrendered, one who is fleeing with his back turned, or one who is disarmed and without armour.
In the opening of Bhīṣma Parva, Vaiśaṃpāyana recounts norms and codes governing conduct in battle. This verse lists specific categories of combatants who must be spared, framing the Kurukṣetra war within an ethical rule-set even amid violence.