Shloka 34
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
न संनिपाते प्रदरं वर्ध॑ वा कुर्युरीदृशा: । आत्मानं च स्वपक्षं च पालयन् हन्ति संयुगे
na sannipāte pradaraṁ vardha vā kuryur īdṛśāḥ | ātmānaṁ ca svapakṣaṁ ca pālayan hanti saṁyuge ||
Bhishma said: “Such men, in the press of battle, can neither break and scatter the enemy’s ranks nor truly slay them. Only a valiant warrior, while safeguarding himself and his own side, is able to destroy the foe in combat.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that battlefield success and righteous effectiveness require courage and steadiness: a timid person cannot create a decisive breach in the enemy or finish the fight, whereas a true hero protects himself and his own forces while striking down the enemy.
In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma and conduct. Here he comments on warfare and leadership, contrasting cowardice with the warrior’s responsibility to protect his own side and act decisively in combat.