Shloka 28
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
सुविश्रब्धान् कृतारम्भानुपन्यासान् प्रतापितान् | बहिश्चरानुपन्यासान् कृतवेश्मानुसारिण:
bhīṣma uvāca | suviśrabdhān kṛtārambhān upanyāsān pratāpitān | bahiścarān upanyāsān kṛtaveśmānusāriṇaḥ ||
Bhishma said: One should not strike down those who are unguarded and at ease, those who have laid aside their undertaking, those who are engaged in ordinary tasks or errands, those who are exhausted or distressed, those who are moving about outside the main line, or those who are heading toward the camp or quarters. In the ethics of battle, violence is forbidden against persons who are not actively fighting—such as those who have removed their weapons and armor, those departing the battlefield, those wandering, those eating or drinking, the terrified, the deranged, the wounded, the weakened, those sitting without anxiety, those occupied with other work (including writing), those afflicted by pain, and those serving as carriers or attendants.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches the code of righteous warfare (dharma-yuddha): do not attack those who are not actively fighting—especially the unarmed, the wounded, the terrified, those engaged in non-combat tasks, or those moving away toward safety or camp.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma after the war. Here he enumerates categories of persons who must not be struck in battle, emphasizing restraint and protection of non-combatants and incapacitated individuals.