Shloka 4736
Yuddha-yajña-vyākhyāna (The Battle as Sacrifice): Ambarīṣa–Indra Saṃvāda
चत्वारश्नाश्रमास्तस्य यो युद्धमनुपालयेत् । जो युद्धधर्मका निरन्तर पालन करता है, उसके लिये यही तपस्या, पुण्य, सनातनधर्म तथा चारों आश्रमोंके नियमोंका पालन है
catvāraś cāśramās tasya yo yuddham anupālayet |
Ambarīṣa said: For the one who steadfastly upholds the duties of righteous warfare, that very conduct counts as his austerity and merit; it is in harmony with the eternal dharma, and it is as though he has fulfilled the disciplines of all four āśramas.
अम्बरीष उवाच
Educational Q&A
If one consistently follows yuddha-dharma—ethical discipline and duty appropriate to warfare—then that very fidelity is equivalent to tapas and puṇya, and is treated as fulfilling the spirit of the four āśramas within sanātana-dharma.
Ambarīṣa is explaining a dharmic evaluation of warfare: he frames the righteous maintenance of war-duty not as mere violence, but as a disciplined, merit-bearing observance comparable to major religious and social obligations.