Shloka 46
उत्पाताश्व निपाताश्च सुयुद्ध सुपलायितम् | शस्त्राणां पालन ज्ञानं तथैव भरतर्षभ,सेनाको पुष्ट करनेवाले अनेक प्रकारके योग, हाथी, घोड़ा, रथ और मनुष्य-सेनाकी भाँति-भाँतिकी व्यूह-रचना, नाना प्रकारके युद्धकौशल, जैसे ऊपर उछल जाना, नीचे झुककर अपनेको बचा लेना, सावधान होकर भलीभाँति युद्ध करना, कुशलतापूर्वक वहाँसे निकल भागना--इन सब उपायोंका भी इस ग्रन्थमें वर्णन है। भरतश्रेष्ठ! शस्त्रोंके संरक्षण और प्रयोगके ज्ञानका भी उसमें उल्लेख है
bhīṣma uvāca | utpātāśva-nipātāś ca suyuddha-supalāyitam | śastrāṇāṁ pālana-jñānaṁ tathaiva bharatarṣabha ||
Bhishma said: “O bull among the Bharatas, this treatise also describes many practical disciplines that strengthen an army—methods of arranging elephants, horses, chariots, and infantry into varied battle-formations; diverse skills of warfare such as leaping upward, ducking low to protect oneself, fighting with vigilant steadiness, and withdrawing skillfully from the field. It also sets forth knowledge of how weapons are to be safeguarded and properly employed.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma emphasizes that righteous governance and kshatriya-dharma include disciplined military knowledge: training in formations and maneuvers, knowing when to stand firm and when to withdraw, and maintaining and using weapons responsibly rather than recklessly.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhishma is describing the contents of a martial or statecraft-oriented treatise: it covers battlefield techniques (leaping, ducking, steady fighting, tactical retreat) and practical knowledge about safeguarding and employing weapons.