Shloka 3
अर्जुनस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति क्षात्रधर्मोपदेशः | Arjuna’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira on Kṣatra-Dharma
क्षत्रियाणां महाराज संग्रामे निधनं मतम् । विशिष्ट बहुभिय॑ज्ञि: क्षत्रधर्ममनुस्मर
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kṣatriyāṇāṃ mahārāja saṅgrāme nidhanaṃ matam | viśiṣṭaṃ bahubhir yajñaiḥ kṣatradharmam anusmara ||
«Oh gran rey, recuerda el dharma de un kṣatriya. Para los kṣatriyas, morir en el campo de batalla se tiene por superior incluso al mérito alcanzado mediante muchos sacrificios.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a hierarchy of duties and merits: for a kṣatriya, steadfastness in righteous battle—even to the point of death—is regarded as a supreme fulfillment of svadharma, surpassing the merit of performing many ritual sacrifices.
Vaiśampāyana addresses a king and exhorts him to remember kṣatriya-dharma, emphasizing that falling in battle is traditionally esteemed as an exceptionally meritorious end for the warrior class.