Shloka 29
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
पारम्पर्यागते द्वारे ये केचिदनुवर्तिन: । परिचर्यावतो द्वारे ये च केचन वर्गिण:
pāramparyāgate dvāre ye kecid anuvartinaḥ | paricaryāvato dvāre ye ca kecana vargiṇaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: Those who, by hereditary succession, serve at the royal gate—following their appointed duty—and those who stand guard at the gates of royal attendants such as ministers, or who are leaders of a troop or unit, should not be slain. The ethical point is that persons engaged in protective or service roles at the threshold of governance, especially by established duty, are not to be treated as combatants to be killed.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in conflict, dharma restricts violence: hereditary gatekeepers, attendants, and organized guards performing protective/service duties at the royal threshold are not legitimate targets for killing.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on righteous conduct and governance-related ethics; here he specifies categories of personnel connected with palace and ministerial gates—guards and service-followers—who should be spared.