SanskritIASTMeaning
ते वयम् नयम् आस्थायte vayam nayam āsthāyawe, having resorted to policy,
शत्रु-देह-समीप-गाःśatru-deha-samīpa-gāḥhaving approached the very [body] of the enemy,
कथम् अन्तम् न गच्छेमkatham antam na gacchemahow shall we not reach his end,
वृक्षस्य इव नदी-रयाःvṛkṣasya iva nadī-rayāḥas a river's current [undermines the roots] of a tree?
पर-रन्ध्रे पराक्रान्ताःpara-randhre parākrāntāḥhaving struck into the enemy's weak point,
स्व-रन्ध्र-आवरणे स्थिताःsva-randhra-āvaraṇe sthitāḥwhile keeping our own flaws covered;
व्यूढ-अनीकैः अनु-बलैःvyūḍha-anīkaiḥ anu-balaiḥwith battle-arrays and reinforcements
न उपेयात् बलवत्-तरम्na upeyāt balavat-taramone should not approach one who is stronger —
इति बुद्धिमताम् नीतिःiti buddhimatām nītiḥsuch is the policy of the wise,
तत् मम अपि इह रोचतेtat mama api iha rocateand this pleases me here;
वयंvayaṃoriginal form “vayaṃ”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शत्रुदेहसमीपगाःśatrudehasamīpagāḥoriginal form “śatrudehasamīpagāḥ”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अन्तंantaṃoriginal form “antaṃ”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वृक्षस्येवvṛkṣasyevaoriginal form “vṛkṣasyeva”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नदीरयाःnadīrayāḥoriginal form “nadīrayāḥ”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पररन्ध्रेpararandhreoriginal form “pararandhre”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्वरन्ध्रावरणेsvarandhrāvaraṇeoriginal form “svarandhrāvaraṇe”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
व्यूढानीकैर्vyūḍhānīkairoriginal form “vyūḍhānīkair”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अनुबलैर्anubalairoriginal form “anubalair”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नोपेयाद्nopeyādoriginal form “nopeyād”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बलवत्तरम्balavattaramoriginal form “balavattaram”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
बुद्धिमतांbuddhimatāṃoriginal form “buddhimatāṃ”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नीतिस्nītisoriginal form “nītis”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तन्tanoriginal form “tan”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ममापीहmamāpīhaoriginal form “mamāpīha”, added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here Krishna teaches to strike not with a frontal mass of force but at the vulnerable point, while keeping one's own weakness hidden. It is telling that strength alone is no guarantee of victory: the wise overcome a greater power by choosing the place and the means. Thus the scripture shows the art of the well-aimed blow; and next comes why it suffices to strike down one man.