Shloka 39
Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ
Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit
न मृतो जयते शत्रूञज्जीवन् भद्राणि पश्यति । मृतस्य भद्राणि कुतः कौरवेय कुतो जय:,“कुरुनन्दन! मरा हुआ मनुष्य कभी शत्रुओंपर विजय नहीं पाता। जो जीवित रहता है वह कभी सुखके दिन भी देखता है। मरे हुए को कहाँ सुख और कहाँ विजय?
na mṛto jayate śatrūñ jīvan bhadrāṇi paśyati | mṛtasya bhadrāṇi kutaḥ kauraveya kuto jayaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “A dead man does not conquer his enemies. Only one who remains alive may yet behold auspicious days. For the dead, where is well-being—and where, O son of the Kuru line, is victory?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a practical ethical point: life is the necessary condition for any future good—whether victory, welfare, or the chance to see better days. Therefore, one should not choose self-destruction or futile death in the name of honor, because death ends both agency and the possibility of auspicious outcomes.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the epic, conveys counsel addressed to a Kuru-descendant: do not seek a course that leads to death, since a dead person cannot defeat enemies or attain prosperity. The line functions as admonition within a moment of crisis, urging endurance and continued effort rather than fatal resignation.