Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 25
दिष्ट्या नाहं परावृत्तो युद्धे कस्यांचिदापदि । दिष्टयाहं निहतः पापैश्छलेनैव विशेषतः
diṣṭyā nāhaṁ parāvṛtto yuddhe kasyāñcid āpadi | diṣṭyāhaṁ nihataḥ pāpaiś chaleṇaiva viśeṣataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “It is a blessing that, whatever crisis arose, I never turned back from battle. And it is a blessing too that, even though the wicked struck me down—especially by deceit—I did not abandon my warrior’s resolve.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse praises steadfastness in one’s duty under crisis—especially the kṣatriya ideal of not retreating—while also condemning deceitful killing as ethically blameworthy, even if the victim maintains inner resolve.
Sanjaya speaks in the first person, reflecting on battle: he takes solace that he never fled in any danger, and that even when the wicked killed him—particularly through trickery—his commitment to the warrior’s path remained unbroken.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.