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 dit : «Que les armes soient éclatantes—blanches et jaunes—et que les armures soient teintes de jaune et de rouge. Que les bannières et les étendards soient richement colorés de multiples teintures, ô fils de Kuntī. Un roi doit tenir ces équipements en abondance et toujours à portée, afin que ses troupes et ses montures soient protégées et que son royaume demeure en sûreté.»
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.