Shloka 14

Devanagari script

न हारण्येन शक्‍्येत गन्तुं मृगगणैरिव । तस्मात्‌ सेनासु तानेव योजयन्ति जयार्थिन:,वन्य पशुओंकी भाँति मनुष्य जंगलमें आसानीसे नहीं चल सकते; इसलिये विजयाभिलाषी राजा सेनाओंमें मार्गदर्शन करानेके लिये उन्हीं गुप्तचरोंको नियुक्त करते हैं

Transliteration

na hāraṇyena śakyeta gantuṁ mṛgagaṇair iva | tasmāt senāsu tān eva yojayanti jayārthinaḥ ||

Translation

انسان جنگل میں جنگلی جانوروں کے ریوڑ کی طرح آسانی سے نہیں چل سکتے۔ اس لیے فتح کے خواہاں بادشاہ انہی جاسوسوں کو لشکر میں رہنما اور راہ شناس بنا کر مقرر کرتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

नnot

हारण्येनby/through the forest (wilderness)

शक्येतcould be possible

गन्तुम्to go

मृगगणैःby herds of deer/animals

इवlike, as

तस्मात्therefore, from that (reason)

सेनासुin the armies

तान्those (men)

एवindeed, only

योजयन्तिthey appoint/yoke/engage

जयार्थिनःdesirous of victory

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

forest/wilderness (āraṇya)

armies (senā)

spies (implied by context: gūḍhacara)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Effective leadership recognizes human limitations and compensates through trained specialists; victory-oriented rulers integrate intelligence personnel as practical guides, especially in difficult terrain.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on kingship and governance, he explains why rulers employ spies within the army: unlike wild animals, humans cannot easily navigate forests, so knowledgeable agents are assigned to guide movements for success in campaigns.