Shloka 37
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
मनुष्यापसदा होते ये भवन्ति पराड्मुखा: । राशिवर्धनमात्रास्ते नैव ते प्रेत्य नो इह
manuṣyāpasadā hote ye bhavanti parāṅmukhāḥ | rāśivardhanamātrās te naiva te pretya no iha ||
Bhishma said: Those who turn their backs in battle become the lowest among men. They merely swell the headcount of an army, without contributing true valor or protection. Such men find no happiness—neither here in this world nor after death—because they abandon their duty at the decisive moment.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that abandoning one’s duty in battle by turning one’s back is a grave ethical failure. Such a person is condemned as the lowest among men, because he contributes nothing but numbers and forfeits honor and well-being both in this life and after death.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma and right conduct, Bhishma is advising about the standards expected of warriors. He censures those who flee from battle, framing it as a betrayal of responsibility and a cause of suffering in both worlds.