Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तस्मात्‌ तदा योजयेत परेषां व्यसने5थवा । एते हि योगा: सेनाया: प्रशस्ता: परबाधने,इसलिये उसी समय चढ़ाई करे अथवा जिस समय शत्रु संकटमें हो, उसी अवसरपर उसपर आक्रमण कर दे। शत्रुओंको सेनाद्वारा बाधा पहुँचानेके लिये ये ही अवसर अच्छे माने गये हैं

Transliteration

tasmāt tadā yojayet pareṣāṁ vyasane ’thavā | ete hi yogāḥ senāyāḥ praśastāḥ parabādhane ||

Translation

Бхишма сказал: потому следует начинать поход либо в тот самый час, либо в миг, когда враг впал в бедствие; именно тогда и надлежит наносить удар. Ибо такие мгновения почитаются наилучшими стратегическими возможностями для войска, когда цель — сдержать и изнурять неприятеля.

Word by Word

तस्मात्therefore/from that

तदाthen/at that time

योजयेत्should deploy/should engage

परेषाम्of the enemies/others

व्यसनेin calamity/distress

अथवाor

एतेthese

हिindeed/for

योगाःdeployments/strategic measures

सेनायाःof the army

प्रशस्ताःcommended/excellent

परबाधनेin harassing/afflicting the enemy

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

enemy (pareṣām)

army (senā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma advises a king to choose the moment of action with strategic clarity: attack either immediately when conditions are ripe or specifically when the enemy is weakened by misfortune, since such timings are considered most effective for restraining the foe.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Śānti Parva’s instruction on rājadharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on practical statecraft and warfare, identifying favorable occasions for military deployment against an opponent.