Shloka 23
Chapter 15: Counsel on Initiative vs. Renunciation in the Rajasuya Project (सभापर्व, अध्याय १५)
क्षत्रिय: शस्त्रमरणो यदा भवति सत्कृत: । ततः सम मागधं संख्ये प्रतिबाधेम यद् वयम्
kṣatriyaḥ śastramaraṇo yadā bhavati satkṛtaḥ | tataḥ saṃ māgadhaṃ saṅkhye pratibādhema yad vayam ||
ক্ষত্রিয় যখন যুদ্ধে অস্ত্রশস্ত্রে নিহত হয়, তখন সেটাই তার সম্মান। অতএব আমরা রণক্ষেত্রে দ্বন্দ্বযুদ্ধে মগধরাজ (জরাসন্ধ)-কে প্রতিহত করে নিধন করি।
कृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa frames a warrior’s death by weapons in rightful battle as an honour (satkāra), expressing the Mahābhārata’s kṣatriya-dharma ideal that courage and acceptance of battle-death, when aligned with duty, is not disgrace but esteem.
Kṛṣṇa urges his side to engage the Magadhan ruler Jarāsandha directly in battlefield single combat, arguing that such a confrontation accords with warrior ethics and that defeating him in a duel is the appropriate course.