Shloka 17
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
बहुभिग्गुणजातैश्व ये युद्धकुशला जना: । उपन्यासो भवेत् तत्र बलानां नातिदूरत:
bahubhir guṇajātaiś ca ye yuddhakuśalā janāḥ | upanyāso bhavet tatra balānāṃ nātidūrataḥ ||
Wika ni Bhishma: Yaong mga bihasa sa digmaan at nakauunawa sa maraming pakinabang ng anyo ng lupain ay nagsasabing, sa halip na sa lantad na kapatagan, higit na kapaki-pakinabang magtayo ng kampo sa pook na malapit sa gubat. Kaya ang himpilan ng hukbo ay dapat ilagay na hindi gaanong malayo sa kakahuyang iyon, upang may kahandaan at kaginhawaan sa pagpigil sa biglaang pagsalakay ng kaaway.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that military decisions should be guided by practical advantages (guṇa) of terrain: an encampment should be placed close to supportive natural features (like a forest) to improve defense, mobility, and readiness against sudden attack.
In Bhishma’s instruction on governance and warfare in the Shanti Parva, he gives tactical counsel on where an army should establish its camp, recommending a site near a forest rather than an exposed open field, so the force can better resist enemy assaults.