Shloka 25
Kṣātra-dharma in Campaign and Battle: Protection, Purification, and the Ideal Warrior’s End (क्षात्रधर्मः—अभियानयुद्धे रक्षणदानशुद्धिः)
न गृहे मरणं तात क्षत्रियाणां प्रशस्यते । शौटीराणामशौटीर्यमधर्म कृपणं च तत्
na gṛhe maraṇaṃ tāta kṣatriyāṇāṃ praśasyate | śauṭīrāṇām aśauṭīryam adharma kṛpaṇaṃ ca tat ||
Bhīṣma said: “Dear child, for kṣatriyas, dying at home is not considered praiseworthy. For the valiant, such an end is cowardice—a pitiable, unrighteous course, contrary to dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches kṣatriya-dharma: a warrior’s life is judged by courage and duty. Choosing a passive, sheltered death “at home” is condemned as cowardice and adharma, whereas meeting danger in the rightful performance of duty is the honorable ideal.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs the listener (addressed as “tāta”) on righteous conduct. Here he emphasizes the warrior code, contrasting heroic valor with the disgrace of avoiding one’s ordained responsibilities.