Shloka 4
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
तेषां प्रतिविघातार्थ प्रवक्ष्याम्यथ नैगमम् । कार्याणां सर्वसिद्धयर्थ तानुपायान् निबोध मे
teṣāṃ prativighātārthaṃ pravakṣyāmy atha naigamam | kāryāṇāṃ sarvasiddhyarthaṃ tān upāyān nibodha me, yudhiṣṭhira |
Bhishma berkata: “Kini akan kujelaskan sarana yang berwibawa menurut Weda (naigama) untuk menghadang dan mengekang para pelanggar itu. Demi tercapainya keberhasilan sempurna dalam segala urusan yang benar, pahamilah dariku upaya-upaya tersebut, wahai Yudhisthira.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma frames governance and moral order as requiring legitimate, Veda-grounded measures (upāyas) to restrain those who violate dharma; effective action must be guided by authoritative principles, not mere impulse.
In the Śānti Parva dialogue, Bhīṣma continues instructing King Yudhiṣṭhira on rājadharma. Here he announces that he will explain the scripturally sanctioned methods for countering wrongdoers and ensuring the successful execution of rightful duties.