Shloka 24
Bhīmasena’s Counsel on Grief, Inner Conflict, and the Duty of Kingship (भीमसेन-उपदेशः)
तस्मिन्ननिर्जिति युद्धे प्राणान् यदि विमोक्ष्यसे । अन्यं देहं समास्थाय ततस्तैरपि योत्स्यसे,“इस युद्धमें विजय पाये बिना यदि आप प्राणोंका परित्याग कर देंगे तो दूसरा देह धारण करके पुनःउन्हीं शत्रुओंके साथ आपको युद्ध करना पड़ेगा
tasminn anirjiti yuddhe prāṇān yadi vimokṣyase | anyaṃ dehaṃ samāsthāya tatas tair api yotsyase ||
Si, dans cette bataille non encore remportée, tu abandonnes la vie sans avoir assuré la victoire, alors, revêtu d’un autre corps, tu seras contraint de combattre de nouveau ces mêmes ennemis.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
One should not abandon one’s rightful duty out of fear or despair; failing to complete a necessary moral task does not erase its consequence, and the unresolved obligation returns—symbolized here by rebirth and renewed conflict.
Vaiśampāyana states a warning within the war-and-duty discourse: if a warrior relinquishes life without achieving victory in the appointed battle, he will take another body and still have to confront the same enemies—underscoring the inescapability of dharma and karmic continuity.