Shloka 413
अड्जन्येतानि कौरव्य प्रकाशानि बलस्य तु । कुरुवंशी पाण्डुनन्दन! हाथी, घोड़े, रथ, पैदल, बेगारमें पकड़े गये बोझ ढोनेवाले लोग, नौकारोही, गुप्तचर तथा कर्तव्यका उपदेश करनेवाले गुरु-ये सेनाके प्रकट आठ अड़ हैं
aṣṭāṅgāny etāni kauravya prakāśāni balasya tu | kuruvaṃśī pāṇḍunandana! hastī aśvā rathāḥ padātayaḥ, balād gṛhītā bhāra-vāhakāḥ, naukārohāḥ, guptacarāḥ tathā kartavyopadeśakā guravaḥ—ete senāyāḥ prakaṭā aṣṭāṅgāni ||
اے کوروَیہ! یہ لشکر کے آٹھ نمایاں اجزا ہیں۔ اے کُرووَںشی، پاندو کے فرزند! ہاتھی، گھوڑے، رتھ، پیادہ؛ زبردستی پکڑ کر خدمت اور بوجھ ڈھونے پر لگائے گئے لوگ؛ کشتی بان اور آبی نقل و حمل کے عملے؛ جاسوس؛ اور فرض و دھرم کی تعلیم دینے والے گرو—یہی لشکر کے آٹھ ظاہر اعضاء ہیں۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma defines an army not only by its fighting arms (elephants, horses, chariots, infantry) but also by its enabling supports—logistics labor, water-transport, intelligence (spies), and dharma-guidance (gurus). Power is presented as a system whose ethical direction and practical infrastructure are integral to success.
In Shanti Parva’s instruction on governance and duty, Bhishma addresses a Kuru-descendant (Pandu’s son) and enumerates the eight visible constituents of a military force, expanding the notion of ‘army’ beyond battlefield units to include transport, espionage, and moral instruction.