Shloka 27
उद्योगपर्व अध्याय १३३ — संजये मातृउपदेशः
Udyoga Parva Adhyaya 133 — A Mother’s Counsel to Saṃjaya
त्यक्त्वा$5त्मानं रणे दक्ष शूरं कापुरुषा जना: । अवशास्तर्पयन्ति सम सर्वकामसमृद्धिभि:,कायर मनुष्य विवश हो युद्धमें अपने शरीरका त्याग करके युद्धकुशल शूरवीरको सम्पूर्ण मनोरथोंकी पूर्ति करनेवाली अपनी समृद्धियोंके द्वारा तृप्त करते हैं
tyaktvā ātmānaṁ raṇe dakṣa śūraṁ kāpuruṣā janāḥ | avaśās tarpayanti sama sarvakāmasamṛddhibhiḥ ||
Having abandoned their own lives in battle, cowardly men end up ‘satisfying’ the battle-skilled hero—by leaving him to enjoy, in full measure, the prosperity that fulfills every desire.
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cowardice in war is ethically condemned: by refusing the risk of righteous combat, the coward effectively hands over the rewards of victory—wealth and fulfillment—to the truly brave. The verse praises valor and implies that only those who stand firm deserve the fruits.
In a didactic, admonitory tone (spoken by “the son”), the speaker contrasts cowardly men with a battle-skilled hero, stating that when cowards abandon their lives/resolve in battle, they end up enabling the hero to enjoy complete prosperity—the spoils and fulfillment that follow victory.