Shloka 6
अध्याय २९७ — श्रेयः, धृति, दान-नियमाः
Welfare, Steadfastness, and Norms of Giving
किंतु जिसके पास युद्धका सामान हो, जो युद्धके लिये तैयार हो और अपने बराबरका हो, संग्रामभूमिमें उस क्षत्रियकुमारको राजा अवश्य जीतनेका प्रयत्न करे ।।
tulyād iha vadhaḥ śreyān viśiṣṭāc ceti niścayaḥ | nihīnāt kātarāc caiva kṛpaṇād garhito vadhaḥ ||
Dijo Parāśara: Un rey debe esforzarse por vencer en batalla a aquel príncipe kṣatriya que esté bien pertrechado, dispuesto a combatir y sea su igual en el campo. Los conocedores de la ciencia de la guerra tienen por regla firme que ser muerto por un igual—o incluso por un héroe superior—es preferible; pero morir a manos de un inferior, de un cobarde o de un miserable se juzga deshonroso.
पराशर उवाच
Educational Q&A
In kṣatriya ethics, combat should be undertaken against a properly prepared and worthy opponent; being slain by an equal or superior is considered honorable, while death at the hands of an inferior, cowardly, or base person is viewed as disgraceful.
Parāśara is instructing on norms of righteous warfare and royal conduct: a king should engage and seek victory over a battle-ready peer, and he cites the war-tradition’s judgment about what kinds of death in combat are praised or censured.