Shloka 10
Jaitrya-nimitta: Signs of Prospective Victory and the Priority of Conciliation (जयलक्षण-निमित्त तथा सान्त्व-प्रधान नीति)
इष्टा मृगा: पृष्ठतो वामतश्न सम्प्रस्थितानां च गमिष्यतां च । जिघांसतां दक्षिणा: सिद्धिमाहु- यें त्वग्रतस्ते प्रतिषेधयन्ति
iṣṭā mṛgāḥ pṛṣṭhato vāma-taś ca samprasthitānāṃ ca gamiṣyatāṃ ca | jighāṃsatāṃ dakṣiṇāḥ siddhim āhur ye tv agratas te pratiṣedhayanti ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Ketika bala tentera berangkat atau sedang bersiap untuk berangkat, jika haiwan bertuah muncul di belakang atau di sebelah kiri, ia dianggap mengurniakan hasil yang dihajati. Di tengah pertempuran, jika terlihat di sebelah kanan, ia dikatakan menandakan kejayaan. Namun jika ia datang tepat di hadapan, itu dianggap sebagai larangan—suatu alamat yang memberi amaran agar tidak meneruskan perjalanan perang itu.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma summarizes traditional omen-lore for military action: the direction in which auspicious animals appear is read as guidance—favorable from behind/left at departure, favorable on the right in combat, but inauspicious when blocking the front, which signals restraint and reconsideration.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on governance and practical norms. Here he explains how commanders interpret signs at the time of marching or fighting, using the appearance of animals as indicators for proceeding or halting a war-journey.