Shloka 5
Jarā’s Account and the Enthronement of Jarāsandha (जरासंधोत्पत्तिः अभिषेकश्च)
अनयस्यानुपायस्य संयुगे परम: क्षय: । संशयो जायते साम्याज्जयश्व न भवेद् द्वयो:
anasyānupāyasya saṁyuge paramaḥ kṣayaḥ | saṁśayo jāyate sāmyāj jayaś ca na bhaved dvayoḥ ||
One who enters battle without sound policy and without a fitting means of success meets utter ruin in war. And when the two sides are evenly matched, only uncertainty arises—neither side can be said to gain a clear victory or suffer a definite defeat.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory in conflict depends on right policy (naya) and an effective means (upāya). Without them, ruin is likely; and when forces are evenly matched, the outcome remains uncertain rather than decisively victorious.
Vāyudeva states a principle of warfare and counsel: entering battle without proper strategy leads to total loss, and parity between opponents produces doubt about the outcome, with no assured victory for either side.