Shloka 29

सैन्यसंनिवेशः (Sainyasaṃniveśaḥ) — Deployment, Omens, and Yuddha-Dharma Conventions

Devanagari script

रथी च रथिना योध्यो गजेन गजधूर्गत: । अश्वेनाश्वी पदातिश्न पादातेनैव भारत,जो वाग्युद्धमें प्रवृत्त हों उनके साथ वाणीद्वारा ही युद्ध किया जाय। जो सेनासे बाहर निकल गये हों उनका वध कदापि न किया जाय। भारत! रथीको रथीसे ही युद्ध करना चाहिये, इसी प्रकार हाथीसवारके साथ हाथीसवार, घुड़सवारके साथ घुड़सवार तथा पैदलके साथ पैदल ही युद्ध करे

Transliteration

rathī ca rathinā yodhyo gajena gajadhūr-gataḥ | aśvenāśvī padātiś ca padātenaiva bhārata ||

Translation

毗舍摩波耶那说道：“噢，婆罗多啊，交战当以类相当：车战者当与车战者相斗；乘象者当与象骑相搏；骑马者当与骑马者相争；步兵当与步兵相战。”如此方为秩序与公正之战，不可乘人之危，击其不利。

Word by Word

रथीa chariot-warrior

चand

रथिनाby/with a chariot-warrior

योध्यःshould be fought (is to be fought)

गजेनwith an elephant

गजधूर्गतःone mounted on an elephant

अश्वेनwith a horse

अश्वीa horseman

पदातिःa foot-soldier

चand

पदातेनby/with a foot-soldier

एवindeed/only

भारतO Bharata

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśaṃpāyana

Bhārata

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?

The verse teaches dharmic restraint in warfare: combat should be conducted fairly by matching equivalent combatants (chariot with chariot, elephant with elephant, cavalry with cavalry, infantry with infantry), avoiding opportunistic attacks on those at a disadvantage.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the opening of Bhīṣma Parva, Vaiśaṃpāyana recounts the norms proclaimed for the Kurukṣetra war—laying down battlefield conduct and emphasizing orderly, rule-bound engagement among the different military divisions.