Sutra 27

Devanagari script

स्कन्धावारनिवेशः स्कन्धावारप्रयाणम् बलव्यसनावस्कन्दकालरक्षणं कूटयुद्धविकल्पाः स्वसैन्योत्साहनं स्वबलान्यबलव्यायोगः युद्धभूमयः पत्त्यश्वरथहस्तिकर्माणि पक्षकक्षोरस्यानां बलाग्रतो व्यूहविभागः सारफल्गुबलविभागः पत्त्यश्वरथहस्तियुद्धानि दण्डभोगमण्डलासंहतव्यूहव्यूहनम् तस्य प्रतिव्यूहस्थापनं इति सांग्रामिकं दशममधिकरणम् ॥ कZ_०१.१.१२ ॥

Transliteration

skandhāvāra-niveśaḥ skandhāvāra-prayāṇam balavyasana-avaskanda-kāla-rakṣaṇaṃ kūṭa-yuddha-vikalpāḥ svasainyotsāhanaṃ svabala-anyabala-vyāyogaḥ yuddhabhūmayaḥ patty-aśva-ratha-hasti-karmāṇi pakṣa-kakṣa-urasyānāṃ balāgrato vyūha-vibhāgaḥ sāra-phalgubala-vibhāgaḥ patty-aśva-ratha-hasti-yuddhāni daṇḍa-bhoga-maṇḍalā-saṃhata-vyūha-vyūhanam tasya prativyūha-sthāpanaṃ iti sāṃgrāmikaṃ daśamam adhikaraṇam

Translation

“(Os temas são:) estabelecer um acampamento militar e marchar a partir dele; resguardar o período de vulnerabilidade de um exército e proteger-se contra ataques súbitos; opções de guerra encoberta/irregular; incentivar as próprias tropas; avaliar as forças relativas das próprias e as do inimigo; tipos de campos de batalha; as funções da infantaria, cavalaria, carros e elefantes; a divisão das formações da linha de frente em alas, flancos e centro; a classificação em forças nucleares e auxiliares; a condução de combates por infantaria, cavalaria, carros e elefantes; a disposição de formações combinadas como daṇḍa, bhoga, maṇḍala e saṃhata; e o estabelecimento de contraformações contra elas—este é o décimo livro, o Sāṃgrāmika (Ciência da Guerra).”

Word by Word

स्कन्धावारनिवेशःestablishment/setting up of the military camp

स्कन्धावारप्रयाणम्departure/march of the camp

बलव्यसनावस्कन्दकालरक्षणम्protection at the time of army-distress and sudden raids

कूटयुद्धविकल्पाःalternatives/modes of deceptive (stratagem-based) warfare

स्वसैन्योत्साहनम्encouragement of one’s own army

स्वबलान्यबलव्यायोगःengagement of one’s own forces with the enemy’s forces

युद्धभूमयःbattlefields (types of terrain for battle)

पत्त्यश्वरथहस्तिकर्माणिoperations/duties of infantry, cavalry, chariots, and elephants

पक्षकक्षोरस्यानाम्of the wings, flanks, and the centre/front (parts of an array)

बलाग्रतःin front of the army / at the vanguard

व्यूहविभागःdivision/arrangement of the battle formation

सारफल्गुबलविभागःclassification/division of forces into strong (core) and weak (light) components

पत्त्यश्वरथहस्तियुद्धानिinfantry-, cavalry-, chariot-, and elephant-fights

दण्डभोगमण्डलासंहतव्यूहव्यूहनम्deployment/formation of arrays such as daṇḍa, bhoga, maṇḍala, and asaṃhata (etc.)

तस्यof that (i.e., of the aforesaid formation)

प्रतिव्यूहस्थापनम्setting up a counter-formation

इतिthus

सांग्रामिकम्pertaining to warfare / military

दशमम्tenth

अधिकरणम्section/chapter (topic)

Entities Mentioned

skandhāvāra (military camp)

bala (army/force)

patti (infantry)

aśva (cavalry)

ratha (chariots)

hasti (elephants)

vyūha (battle formation)

kūṭa-yuddha (covert/irregular warfare)

FAQs

What is the strategic objective (Artha) of this verse?

To define the operational scope of state warcraft: how a ruler should organize, move, protect, motivate, and deploy an army, including the use of deception and counter-formations, to secure victory and thereby protect the state’s security and prosperity.

How does this apply to modern governance?

It functions like a defense doctrine table-of-contents: campaign basing and movement, risk windows (vulnerability management), counter-raid security, morale and cohesion, comparative force assessment, terrain analysis, combined-arms roles, and adaptive counter-deployment—concepts mirrored in modern military planning, civil-military logistics, and national security strategy.

What is the specific duty of the ruler/official mentioned?

No single official is named; the implied duty of the ruler and commanders is to ensure disciplined camp establishment and marching, protect the force during vulnerable periods, authorize and control covert/irregular options, sustain troop morale, evaluate relative strengths, select terrain appropriately, employ combined arms effectively, and design formations and counter-formations suited to the enemy.