Shloka 47
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
संहतान् योधयेदल्पान् काम॑ विस्तारयेद् बहुन् । सूचीमुखमनीकं स्यादल्पानां बहुभि: सह
saṁhatān yodhayed alpān kāmaṁ vistārayed bahūn | sūcīmukham anīkaṁ syād alpānāṁ bahubhiḥ saha ||
Bhīṣma dit : Quand on ne dispose que d’une petite troupe, il faut lui ordonner de combattre serrée, d’un seul corps et d’un seul élan ; mais quand on a de nombreux guerriers, on peut les étendre à son gré sur un large front. Et lorsqu’une faible force doit affronter la multitude, l’ordre de bataille nommé « Pointe d’Aiguille » (Sūcīmukha) est tenu pour convenable : rassembler la puissance en une pointe qui perce, plutôt que de la disséminer.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches adaptive leadership in warfare: concentrate a small force into a cohesive, disciplined mass, but deploy a large force with breadth and flexibility. When outnumbered, use a formation like Sūcīmukha that focuses power into a penetrating point, minimizing the disadvantages of being few.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhishma advises the king on practical conduct of war and army deployment. Here he gives a rule-of-thumb for arranging troops based on relative numbers and recommends the Sūcīmukha formation when a smaller contingent must face a larger one.