Shloka 36

उपायधर्म-सेनायोगः

Upāya-dharma and Senāyoga: Expedient Ethics & Army Deployment

Devanagari script

प्रतिध्वस्तोष्ठदन्‍्तस्य न्यस्तसर्वायुधस्य च । अमिन्रैरवरुद्धस्य द्विषतामस्तु न: सदा

Transliteration

pratidhvastauṣṭhadantasya nyastasārvāyudhasya ca | amitrair avaruddhasya dviṣatām astu naḥ sadā ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“愿此等战士永远只出现在敌军阵中——唇齿尽碎，尽弃兵刃，又被仇敌四面合围者。”

Word by Word

• प्रतिध्वस्त: broken, shattered
• प्रतिध्वस्त: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतिध्वस्त (ध्वंस् धातु से क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• ओष्ठ: lip
• ओष्ठ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• दन्तस्य: of (his) tooth/teeth
• दन्तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दन्त
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• न्यस्त: laid down, cast aside
• न्यस्त: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: न्यस्त (नि+अस् धातु से क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• आयुधस्य: of weapon(s)
• आयुधस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आयुध
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अमित्रैः: by enemies
• अमित्रैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमित्र
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अवरुद्धस्य: blocked, surrounded, hemmed in
• अवरुद्धस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवरुद्ध (अव+रुध् धातु से क्त)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• द्विषताम्: of the haters/foes
• द्विषताम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विषत् (द्विष् धातु से शतृ)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• अस्तु: let there be
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (भू)
• Form: Imperative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular

• नः: for us / our
• नः: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Plural

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• enemies (amitrāḥ/dviṣantaḥ)
• weapons (āyudhāni)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma expresses a strategic-ethical wish: the condition of utter helplessness in battle—disarmed, wounded, and encircled—should belong to the opposing side, implying the duty to maintain one’s own strength and avoid such vulnerability in warfare.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s discourse (Śānti Parva), he utters a pointed line describing a defeated warrior—broken-mouthed, weaponless, surrounded—and declares that such a state should be found in the enemy’s army, reflecting the realities and aims of battlefield conduct.