Shloka 20
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 28: Dharmādharmalakṣaṇa in Āpad
Crisis-Discernment of Right and Wrong
ते चेत् पित्रये कर्मणि वर्तमाना आपसट्येरन् दिष्टवशेन मृत्युम् । यथाशक्त्या पूरयन्त: स्वकर्म तदप्येषां निधन स्यात् प्रशस्तम्
te cet pitrye karmaṇi vartamānā āpasatyeran diṣṭavaśena mṛtyum | yathāśaktyā pūrayantaḥ svakarma tad apy eṣāṁ nidhanaṁ syāt praśastam ||
Wenn sie, im angestammten Pflichtwerk—zumal im kṣatriyischen Werk der Schlacht—stehend, durch die Macht des Geschicks dem Tod begegnen, dann gälte selbst dieser Tod als edel, denn sie hätten ihre eigene Pflicht nach Kräften erfüllt.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should adhere to one’s inherited and rightful duty (svakarma/pitrya karma), and if death comes while fulfilling it to the best of one’s ability, that death is considered honorable and ethically commendable.
Vāyudeva speaks in support of the Pāṇḍavas’ commitment to kṣatriya duty: if they engage in their forefathers’ warrior obligations and even die due to destiny while doing so, their end is praised as a noble outcome of steadfast dharma.