Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 33
Dadhīci’s Supreme Charity and the Opening of Indra’s War with Vṛtrāsura
द्वौ सम्मताविह मृत्यू दुरापौ यद् ब्रह्मसन्धारणया जितासु: । कलेवरं योगरतो विजह्याद् यदग्रणीर्वीरशयेऽनिवृत्त: ॥ ३३ ॥
dvau sammatāv iha mṛtyū durāpau yad brahma-sandhāraṇayā jitāsuḥ kalevaraṁ yoga-rato vijahyād yad agraṇīr vīra-śaye ’nivṛttaḥ
There are two ways to meet a glorious death, and both are very rare. One is to die after performing mystic yoga, especially bhakti-yoga, by which one can control the mind and living force and die absorbed in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The second is to die on the battlefield, leading the army and never showing one’s back. These two kinds of death are recommended in the śāstra as glorious.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Sixth Canto, Tenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Battle Between the Demigods and Vṛtrāsura.”
FAQs
This verse says two deaths are especially rare and honored: leaving the body through yogic absorption in Brahman, and dying as a fearless hero who does not retreat from battle.
In the context of the battle involving Vṛtrāsura and Indra, Śukadeva highlights that both spiritual mastery (yogic samādhi) and unwavering courage in righteous duty are esteemed paths that culminate in an exalted end.
Cultivate steadiness: either through disciplined spiritual practice (meditation, devotion, self-control) or through courageous integrity in one’s duty—acting without cowardice or compromise when facing life’s battles.