Shloka 28

उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः

Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment

Devanagari script

सुविश्रब्धान्‌ कृतारम्भानुपन्यासान्‌ प्रतापितान्‌ | बहिश्चरानुपन्यासान्‌ कृतवेश्मानुसारिण:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | suviśrabdhān kṛtārambhān upanyāsān pratāpitān | bahiścarān upanyāsān kṛtaveśmānusāriṇaḥ ||

Translation

毗湿摩说：不可击杀那些安然无备者、已停下所行之事者、正从事日常差役者、疲惫困顿者、在主阵线之外往来者，或正趋向营帐与居所者。战阵之伦理，禁止对非正在交战之人施暴——如已卸下兵刃甲胄者、离开战场者、徘徊行走者、饮食者、惊惧者、癫狂失常者、负伤者、衰弱者、安坐无忧者、忙于他务者（包括书写文牍）、为痛苦所逼者，以及担任搬运与侍从之人。

Word by Word

• सुविश्रब्धान्: very confident / unafraid (persons)
• सुविश्रब्धान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुविश्रब्ध
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• कृतारम्भान्: having begun (some task) / engaged in an undertaking
• कृतारम्भान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतारम्भ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• उपन्यासान्: those engaged in exposition/recitation/statement (speakers)
• उपन्यासान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपन्यास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• प्रतापितान्: afflicted / tormented / distressed
• प्रतापितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतापित
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• बहिः: outside
• बहिः: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहिः

• चरान्: moving about / roaming (persons)
• चरान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• उपन्यासान्: those engaged in exposition/recitation/statement
• उपन्यासान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपन्यास
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• कृतवेश्मानुसारिणः: those going toward/along the made dwelling/camp (i.e., fleeing to the camp/quarters)
• कृतवेश्मानुसारिणः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृतवेश्मानुसारिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhishma teaches the code of righteous warfare (dharma-yuddha): do not attack those who are not actively fighting—especially the unarmed, the wounded, the terrified, those engaged in non-combat tasks, or those moving away toward safety or camp.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Shanti Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhishthira on dharma after the war. Here he enumerates categories of persons who must not be struck in battle, emphasizing restraint and protection of non-combatants and incapacitated individuals.