Shloka 65
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
हत्वेह सुखमाप्रोति हतः प्रेत्य महत् फलम् । न युद्धधर्माच्छेयान् वै पन्था: स्वर्गस्थ कौरवा:
hatveha sukham āpnoti hataḥ pretya mahat phalam | na yuddhadharmāc chreyān vai panthāḥ svargastha kauravāḥ ||
By slaying the foe here, one attains happiness in this world; and if one is slain, then after death one gains a great reward. For you Kauravas who seek heaven, there is truly no path superior to the dharma of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a kṣatriya-centered ethic: engaging in righteous battle (yuddha-dharma) is presented as the highest path for those seeking heaven—victory brings worldly gain, while death in such duty brings great posthumous reward.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, frames the ongoing combat in Shalya Parva as aligned with warrior duty, encouraging the Kaurava perspective that battle offers either immediate success or heavenly merit if one falls.