Mahabharata 11.2.18 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 18
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
एवं राजंस्तवाचक्षे स्वर्ग्य पन्थानमुत्तमम् । न युद्धादधिकं किंचित् क्षत्रियस्येह विद्यते
evaṁ rājan tavācakṣe svargyaṁ panthānam uttamam | na yuddhād adhikaṁ kiñcit kṣatriyasyeha vidyate ||
وهكذا، أيها الملك، أُعلن لك الطريق الأسمى المؤدي إلى السماء: فليس للكشاتريا في هذا العالم ما يفوق القتال العادل. فإذا خيضت الحرب بوصفها واجبًا لحماية النظام والعدل، غدت أكرم السبل إلى الاستحقاق والخير العام للمملكة.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura teaches that for a kṣatriya, the highest heaven-leading path is dharma-yuddha—war undertaken as a rightful duty to uphold justice and protect social order—so long as it is guided by dharma rather than personal hatred or greed.
In the Strī Parva context of post-war grief and reflection, Vidura addresses the king and articulates a normative principle of kṣatriya ethics: that fulfilling one’s ordained duty in a righteous battle is considered the supreme means of merit and heavenly attainment for a warrior-ruler.
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