Shloka 11
Kṣātra-dharma in Campaign and Battle: Protection, Purification, and the Ideal Warrior’s End (क्षात्रधर्मः—अभियानयुद्धे रक्षणदानशुद्धिः)
अभीतो विकिरन् शत्रून् प्रतिगृह्म शरांस्तथा । न तस्मात्त्रिदशा:श्रेयो भुवि पश्यन्ति किड्चन
abhīto vikirān śatrūn pratigṛhṇan śarāṁs tathā | na tasmāt tridaśāḥ śreyo bhuvi paśyanti kiñcana ||
Bhishma sprach: „Wer furchtlos die Feinde mit einem Pfeilhagel überschüttet und ebenso die Pfeile des Gegners an sich selbst empfängt — für einen solchen Kshatriya sehen die Götter auf dieser Erde keine Tat, die heilsamer wäre als diese.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
For a kshatriya, the highest welfare (śreyas) lies in fearless performance of one’s ordained duty in battle—protecting order by confronting enemies without cowardice, even while enduring harm.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma praises the warrior’s role: a kshatriya who boldly attacks foes and bears their counterattack is said to perform an act the gods themselves deem supremely beneficial on earth.