Shloka 13
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
संनद्धो दीक्षित: सर्वो योध: प्राप्प चमूमुखम् । युद्धयज्ञाधिकारस्थो भवतीति विनिश्चय:,कवच धारण करके युद्धकी दीक्षा लेनेवाला प्रत्येक योद्धा सेनाके मुहानेपर जाकर इसी प्रकार संग्रामयज्ञका अधिकारी होता है। यह मेरा निश्चित मत है
saṃnaddho dīkṣitaḥ sarvo yodhaḥ prāpya camūmukham | yuddhayajñādhikārastho bhavatīti viniścayaḥ ||
Indra said: “Any warrior who has girded himself in armor and undergone the consecration for battle, upon reaching the very front of the army, becomes duly entitled to the sacrifice that is war. This is my settled conviction.”
इन्द्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames warfare, when entered with proper preparation and commitment to duty, as a ritualized obligation: the warrior becomes 'eligible' for the 'war-sacrifice' by being armed, consecrated, and standing at the battle-front—emphasizing disciplined, duty-bound action rather than mere violence.
Indra is giving an authoritative judgment about the status of combatants: once a fighter has taken up armor and the formal resolve/initiatory commitment to fight, and has reached the army’s forefront, he is considered a rightful participant in the sacrificial rite metaphorically identified with battle.