Shloka 20
भीष्मकृतः पाण्डवपक्ष-महारथ-प्रशंसा
Bhishma’s appraisal of Pandava-aligned chariot-warriors
भिन्ना हि सेना नृपते दुःसंधेया भवत्युत । मौला हि पुरुषव्यात्र किमु नानासमुत्थिता:,“नरेश्वर! पुरुषसिंह! एक बार सेनामें फ़ूट पड़ जानेपर उसमें पुनः: मेल कराना कठिन हो जाता है। उस दशामें मौलिक (पीढ़ियोंसे चले आनेवाले) सेवक भी हाथसे निकल जाते हैं। फिर जो भिन्न-भिन्न स्थानोंके लोग किसी एक कार्यके लिये उद्यत होकर एकत्र हुए हों, उनकी तो बात ही कया है?
bhinnā hi senā nṛpate duḥsandheyā bhavaty uta | maulā hi puruṣavyāghra kimu nānāsamutthitāḥ ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Ó rei, quando um exército se divide por dissensão interna, torna-se extremamente difícil reuni-lo de novo. Nessa condição, até os servidores hereditários, firmados desde longa data, escapam ao controle—quanto mais aqueles que vieram de muitos lugares, reunidos apenas para um único propósito.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that political and military strength depends on cohesion: once factionalism fractures an army, reconciliation is extremely difficult, and loyalty—especially among even long-standing retainers—becomes unreliable; therefore a ruler must prevent internal splits before they occur.
In Udyoga Parva, Bhishma is giving strategic and ethical counsel to the Kuru king, warning about the dangers of internal discord in the forces and the instability of alliances, especially when troops are a coalition drawn from many regions rather than bound by inherited loyalty.