Shloka 483
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
आगतं मे मित्रबलं प्रहरध्वमभीतवत् | अपनी सेना उत्कृष्ट अवस्थामें हो या निकृष्ट अवस्थामें
āgataṃ me mitrabalaṃ praharadhvam abhītavat |
Bhīṣma said: “My allied force has arrived. Strike as one who is fearless.” In the surrounding instruction, the emphasis is on battlefield morale: whether one’s own army stands in a superior or inferior condition, and whether the report is true or false, one may raise one’s arms and shout to rally the troops—“Look, the enemy is fleeing! Our friends have come! Now attack without fear.” The ethical tension lies in using proclamation (even deception) as a tool to steady one’s side and break the opponent’s resolve in war.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges fearless action supported by confidence in allies; in context it highlights how leadership and speech can shape morale, even raising ethical questions about using true or false proclamations as wartime strategy.
Bhīṣma instructs that when allied support arrives—or is announced as arriving—soldiers should be rallied to attack boldly, with shouted claims that the enemy is fleeing and that friendly forces have come.