Shloka 27

सैन्यसंनिवेशः (Sainyasaṃniveśaḥ) — Deployment, Omens, and Yuddha-Dharma Conventions

Devanagari script

निवत्ते विहिते युद्धे स्यात्‌ प्रीतिर्न: परस्परम्‌

Transliteration

nivṛtte vihite yuddhe syāt prītir naḥ parasparam

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : «Si la guerre, dûment engagée et menée selon la règle prescrite, vient à prendre fin, qu’il y ait alors entre nous une bienveillance réciproque.»

Word by Word

• निवृत्ते: when (it is) ceased/ended
• निवृत्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निवृत्त (नि + √वृत्)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• विहिते: when (it is) ordained/arranged
• विहिते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विहित (वि + √धा)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• युद्धे: in the war/battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• स्यात्: may there be / would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस्
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular

• प्रीतिः: affection/friendship/pleasure
• प्रीतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नः: of us / our
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Plural

• परस्परम्: mutually / with one another
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परस्पर

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• yuddha (war)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when conflict is undertaken as a duty and conducted according to dharma, the ethical ideal is not perpetual enmity but restoration of concord—goodwill and social harmony after the cessation of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the opening movement of the Bhīṣma Parva, Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates the atmosphere around the impending battle and articulates a hope: once the properly conducted war ends, the opposing sides might return to mutual goodwill rather than continuing hatred.