Shloka 8

Adharmic Victory as Unstable; Rules of Restraint, Mediation, and Conciliation (अधर्मविजय-अध्रुवत्व तथा क्षमा-नयः)

Devanagari script

अनीकयो: संहतयोर्यदीयाद्‌ ब्राह्मणो<न्तरा । शान्तिमिच्छन्नुभयतो न योद्धव्यं तदा भवेत्‌,दोनों ओरकी सेनाओंके भिड़ जानेपर यदि उनके बीचमें संधि करानेकी इच्छासे ब्राह्मण आ जाय तो दोनों पक्षवालोंको तत्काल युद्ध बंद कर देना चाहिये

Transliteration

anīkayoḥ saṁhatayor yadīyād brāhmaṇo 'ntarā | śāntim icchann ubhayato na yoddhavyaṁ tadā bhavet ||

Translation

రెండు సేనలు ఎదురెదురుగా ఢీకొని యుద్ధం మొదలైనప్పుడు, శాంతి స్థాపించాలనే ఉద్దేశంతో ఒక బ్రాహ్మణుడు మధ్యలోకి వస్తే, ఆ క్షణమే ఇరుపక్షాలు యుద్ధాన్ని ఆపాలి.

Word by Word

अनीकयोःof the two armies

संहतयोःwhen (they are) joined/engaged (in close contact)

यदिif

ईयात्should come

ब्राह्मणःa Brahmin

अन्तराin between

शान्तिम्peace

इच्छन्wishing/desiring

उभयतःon both sides

नnot

योद्धव्यम्should be fought / fighting should be done

तदाthen

भवेत्should be / would be

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

brāhmaṇa

two armies (anīka)

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?

Even amid active combat, dharma requires restraint: if a brāhmaṇa enters as a peace-seeker and mediator, both sides must cease fighting, honoring the priority of reconciliation and the protection of a non-combatant messenger of peace.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on righteous conduct (especially norms of warfare and governance), he states a specific rule: when armies are engaged, the arrival of a brāhmaṇa between them with the intent to broker peace obligates both parties to stop the battle immediately.