Shloka 32

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

Devanagari script

न सूतेषु न धुर्येषु न च शस्त्रोपनायिषु । न भेरीशड्खवादेषु प्रहर्तव्यं कथंचन,घोड़ोंकी सेवाके लिये नियुक्त हुए सूतों, बोझ ढोनेवालों, शस्त्र पहुँचानेवालों तथा भेरी और शंख बजानेवालोंपर कोई किसी प्रकार भी प्रहार न करे

Transliteration

na sūteṣu na dhuryeṣu na ca śastropanāyiṣu | na bherīśaṅkhavādeṣu prahartavyaṃ kathaṃcana ||

Translation

सूतांवर, ओझे वाहणाऱ्यांवर, शस्त्र पोहोचविणाऱ्यांवर, तसेच भेरी व शंख वाजविणाऱ्यांवर—कुठल्याही प्रकारे कधीही प्रहार करू नये।

Word by Word

नnot

सूतेषुamong/on charioteers (sūtas)

नnor

धुर्येषुamong burden-bearers / those fit for the yoke

नnor

चand

शस्त्रweapon

उपनायिषुamong weapon-bringers / those who bring (weapons)

नnor

भेरीof the kettle-drum

शङ्खof the conch

वादेषुamong the soundings/blowings (players)

प्रहर्तव्यम्is to be struck / should be struck

नnot

कथंचनin any way; at all

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

sūta (charioteer/attendant)

dhurya (burden-bearer)

śastra (weapons)

bherī (war-drum)

śaṅkha (conch)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches a dharmic restraint in warfare: those serving supportive, non-frontline roles—charioteers/attendants, burden-bearers, weapon-carriers, and signal-instrument players—should not be attacked, emphasizing ethical limits even amid violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the opening of Bhīṣma Parva, as the great battle is being organized and rules are being articulated, this instruction is voiced to define who counts as a legitimate target, protecting battlefield auxiliaries from assault.