Shloka 49

Devanagari script

इह कीर्ति परे लोके दीर्घकालं महत्‌ सुखम्‌ । प्राप्स्यन्ति पुरुषव्याप्रा: प्राणांस्त्यकत्वा महाहवे,“वे पुरुषसिंह नरेश महायुद्धमें प्राणोंका परित्याग करके इहलोकमें कीर्ति तथा परलोकमें दीर्घकालतक महान्‌ सुख प्राप्त करेंगे!

Transliteration

iha kīrtiḥ pare loke dīrghakālaṃ mahat sukham | prāpsyanti puruṣavyāprāḥ prāṇāṃs tyaktvā mahāhave ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Here in this world they will gain fame; and in the world beyond they will attain great happiness for a long time—those heroic men of action who, in the great battle, lay down their lives.”

Word by Word

इहhere, in this world

कीर्तिम्fame

परेin the other (world)

लोकेin the world

दीर्घकालम्for a long time

महत्great

सुखम्happiness, bliss

प्राप्स्यन्तिwill obtain

पुरुषव्याप्राःmen who are active/engaged (in manly effort)

प्राणान्life-breaths, lives

त्यक्त्वाhaving abandoned, having given up

महाहवेin the great battle

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that courageous self-sacrifice in a great battle—when aligned with one’s warrior-duty—brings two fruits: honor among people in this life (kīrti) and enduring well-being in the next (mahat sukham pare loke).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events of the Bhīṣma Parva, states a general assurance about the fate of heroic fighters: those who die in the great war will be celebrated on earth and rewarded in the hereafter, encouraging resolve and framing the coming conflict in moral terms.