Shloka 14
जनकस्य युद्धोपदेशः — Janaka’s Instruction on Steadfast Battle-Conduct
राजन्! जो जीवनसे निराश होकर पुनः युद्धके लिये लौट पड़ते हैं, उनका वेग अत्यन्त दुःसह होता है; अतः भागते हुओंके पीछे अधिक नहीं पड़ना चाहिये ।।
rājan! yo jīvanase nirāśa hokara punaḥ yuddhāya nivartante, teṣāṃ vegaḥ atyanta duḥsahaḥ; ataḥ palāyamānānāṃ paścāt nātyanusarīyam. na hi prahartum icchanti śūrāḥ pradravato bhūśam. tasmāt palāyamānānāṃ kuryān nātyanusarāṇam.
न हि प्रहर्तुमिच्छन्ति शूराः प्रद्रवतो भूशम् । तस्मात् पलायमानानां कुर्यान्नात्यनुसारणम् ॥
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches restraint and honor in warfare: do not strike or relentlessly chase those who are fleeing, because true valor avoids attacking the defenseless, and because desperate fighters who turn back can become dangerously unstoppable.
In the Śānti Parva’s instruction to the king, Bhīṣma lays down a practical and ethical rule of combat conduct—warning that excessive pursuit of retreating troops is both dishonorable and strategically risky.