Shloka 26
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
एवं संचिन्त्य यो याति तिथिनक्षत्रपूजित: । विजयं लभते नित्यं सेनां सम्यक् प्रयोजयन् । प्रसुप्तांस्तृषितान् श्रान्तान् प्रकीर्णान्ू नाभिघातयेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | evaṃ saṃcintya yo yāti tithi-nakṣatra-pūjitaḥ | vijayaṃ labhate nityaṃ senāṃ samyak prayojayan | prasuptāṃs tṛṣitān śrāntān prakīrṇān na abhighātayet |
Bhishma said: “One who, having reflected in this manner, advances against the enemy at an auspicious lunar day and under a favorable constellation, and who deploys his army with proper order, attains victory consistently. Yet he should not strike those who are asleep, thirsty, exhausted, or scattered in flight.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Victory is linked not only to strategy and auspicious preparation but also to restraint: a righteous warrior should avoid attacking opponents who are helpless—sleeping, thirsty, exhausted, or scattered—upholding dharma even in war.
In Bhishma’s instruction on righteous conduct, he advises how a commander should plan and deploy forces for success while simultaneously setting ethical limits on violence during an advance against the enemy.