Shloka 9
जनकस्य युद्धोपदेशः — Janaka’s Instruction on Steadfast Battle-Conduct
गजानां रथिनो मध्ये रथानामनु सादिन: । सादिनामन्तरे स्थाप्यं पादातमपि दंशितम्
gajānāṁ rathino madhye rathānām anu sādinaḥ | sādinām antare sthāpyaṁ pādātam api daṁśitam ||
Bhīṣma said: “Place the chariot-warriors amid the elephants; behind the chariots, array the cavalry. And in the intervals between the horsemen, station the infantry as well—fully equipped and protected—so that the formation becomes mutually supporting and hard to break.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches practical rāja-nīti: an army should be arranged so that each arm supports the others—elephants, chariots, cavalry, and infantry placed in coordinated layers and gaps—creating protection, stability, and tactical flexibility.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing on governance and warfare. Here he gives a specific directive on battlefield deployment: position chariot-warriors among elephants, keep cavalry behind the chariots, and fill the spaces between horsemen with well-armed infantry.