Shloka 5
Sandhi–Vigraha in Āpada: The Mouse and the Cat (सन्धिविग्रहापदि—मूषकमार्जारसंवादः)
सर्वकाननदेशकज्ञ: पारियात्रचर: सदा । धर्मज्ञ: सर्वभूतानाममोधेषुर्दूढायुध:
sarva-kānana-deśa-kajñaḥ pāriyātra-caraḥ sadā | dharmajñaḥ sarva-bhūtānām amodheṣur dūḍhāyudhaḥ ||
त्याला वनातील सर्व प्रदेशांचे सखोल ज्ञान होते. तो सदैव पारियात्र पर्वतांमध्ये संचार करी आणि सर्व प्राणिमात्रांचे धर्म-कर्तव्य जाणणारा होता. त्याचे बाण लक्ष्यभेदनात अचूक होते आणि त्याची अस्त्र-शस्त्रे दृढ व विश्वासार्ह होती.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises an ideal type of capable person—especially a warrior or protector—whose excellence is not only martial (unfailing aim, reliable weapons) but also ethical and ecological: he knows the terrain thoroughly and understands dharma as it applies to all beings. Competence is presented as inseparable from dharma-awareness and disciplined preparedness.
Bhishma is describing a particular figure’s qualities: deep knowledge of forest regions, constant movement in the Pāriyātra area, insight into the duties/natures of living beings, and exceptional martial reliability (arrows that do not miss, well-secured weapons). The description functions as character-portraiture within Bhishma’s broader instruction in the Shanti Parva.