Shloka 8
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
सितपीतानि शस्त्राणि संनाहा: पीतलोहिता: । नानारञज्जनरक्ता: स्यु: पताका: केतवश्व ह
sitapītāni śastrāṇi sannāhāḥ pītalohitāḥ | nānārañjanaraktāḥ syuḥ patākāḥ ketavaś ca ha, kuntīnandana |
Bhīṣma said: “Let the weapons be bright—white and yellow—and let the armours be dyed in yellow and red. Let the banners and standards be richly coloured with many dyes, O son of Kuntī. A king should keep such military equipment prepared in abundance and always at hand, so that his forces and mounts may be protected and his realm secured.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must practice prudent preparedness: maintaining well-equipped defenses and organized military resources is presented as part of rājadharma—protecting subjects and preserving order.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma addresses Yudhiṣṭhira and lists the kinds of military equipment—arms, armour, banners, and standards—that should be kept ready in abundance.