Shloka 16
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
न यज्ञैर्दक्षिणावद्धिर्न तपोभिरन विद्यया । स्वर्ग यान्ति तथा मर्त्या यथा शूरा रणे हता:,युद्धमें मारे गये शूरवीर जितनी सुगमतासे स्वर्गलोकमें जाते हैं, उतनी सुविधासे मनुष्य प्रचुर दक्षिणावाले यज्ञ, तपस्या और विद्याद्वारा भी नहीं जा सकते
na yajñair dakṣiṇāvaddhir na tapobhir na vidyayā | svargaṃ yānti tathā martyā yathā śūrā raṇe hatāḥ ||
Vidura declares that ordinary mortals do not reach heaven as readily through richly endowed sacrifices, austerities, or learning as do the brave who fall slain on the battlefield. In the wake of the war’s devastation, the statement frames a stark ethic of kṣatriya-duty: death faced with courage in righteous combat is portrayed as a direct, swift passage to heavenly reward—surpassing even the merit of ritual, ascetic discipline, and scholarship.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a hierarchy of merit in which courageous death in battle grants a particularly swift access to heaven, even more readily than merit gained through lavish sacrifices, austerities, or learning—highlighting the ideal of kṣatriya-duty and valor in righteous combat.
In the grief-filled context of the Strī Parva after the Kurukṣetra slaughter, Vidura speaks to interpret the meaning of the mass deaths, presenting the fallen warriors’ fate as spiritually elevated and thereby offering a moral frame for understanding the catastrophe.