Shloka 18
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
एवं राजंस्तवाचक्षे स्वर्ग्य पन्थानमुत्तमम् । न युद्धादधिकं किंचित् क्षत्रियस्येह विद्यते,राजन! इसलिये मैं आपसे कहता हूँ कि क्षत्रियके लिये इस जगत्में धर्मयुद्धसे बढ़कर दूसरा कोई स्वर्ग-प्राप्तिका उत्तम मार्ग नहीं है
evaṁ rājan tavācakṣe svargyaṁ panthānam uttamam | na yuddhād adhikaṁ kiñcit kṣatriyasyeha vidyate ||
Thus, O King, I declare to you the highest path that leads to heaven: for a kṣatriya in this world, nothing surpasses righteous warfare. When war is undertaken as a duty for the protection of order and justice, it becomes the noblest means to merit and the welfare of the realm.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Vidura teaches that for a kṣatriya, the highest heaven-leading path is dharma-yuddha—war undertaken as a rightful duty to uphold justice and protect social order—so long as it is guided by dharma rather than personal hatred or greed.
In the Strī Parva context of post-war grief and reflection, Vidura addresses the king and articulates a normative principle of kṣatriya ethics: that fulfilling one’s ordained duty in a righteous battle is considered the supreme means of merit and heavenly attainment for a warrior-ruler.