Shloka 413
Varṇa-dharma and Rājadharma: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Normative Outline (वर्णधर्म-राजधर्म-प्रश्नोत्तरम्)
अड्जन्येतानि कौरव्य प्रकाशानि बलस्य तु । कुरुवंशी पाण्डुनन्दन! हाथी
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 ||
毗湿摩说道：“俱卢后裔啊，这便是军队八种显著的组成。俱卢族的苗裔、般度之子：象兵、马兵、车兵与步兵；被强征或拘押来负重服役之人；舟子与水路运输之众；间谍；以及教人以职责之法（达摩）的师长——此即军队可见的八支肢体。”
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.