Shloka 18
उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः
Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment
Devanagari script
उपन्यासावतरणं पदातीनां च गूहनम् | अथ शत्रुप्रतीघातमापदर्थ परायणम्
Transliteration
upanyāsāvataraṇaṁ padātīnāṁ ca gūhanam | atha śatrupratīghātam āpadartha-parāyaṇam
Translation
毗湿摩说道：“当筹划有序的推进与布阵，隐蔽步兵的行踪，而后乘机反击敌军——为应急之时，当以一心决断而行。”
Word by Word
उपन्यासplacing/arranging; deployment
उपन्यास:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootउपन्यास
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
अवतरणम्descent; dismounting; bringing down
अवतरणम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअवतरण
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
पदातीनाम्of the foot-soldiers/infantry
पदातीनाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootपदाति
FormMasculine, Genitive, Plural
चand
च:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच
गूहनम्concealment; hiding
गूहनम्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootगूहन
FormNeuter, Nominative, Singular
अथthen; next
अथ:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ
शत्रुof the enemy
शत्रु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootशत्रु
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
प्रतीघातम्repulse; counter-attack; striking back
प्रतीघातम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootप्रतीघात
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
आपदर्थfor the sake of emergency/need
आपदर्थ:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootआपदर्थ
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
परायणम्as a last resort; having recourse to
परायणम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootपरायण
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
Speaker
भीष्म उवाच
Characters & Entities
B
BhīṣmaŚ
śatru (enemy)P
padāti (infantry)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
In times of danger, a ruler/commander should act with practical focus: deploy forces with forethought, keep troop movements concealed, and deliver a timely counter-stroke—prioritizing the immediate objective of overcoming the emergency.
Bhīṣma continues his instruction on rājadharma and statecraft, outlining concrete battlefield measures—deployment, concealment of infantry, and counterattack—framed as guidance for handling crises effectively.