Shloka 58
क्षत्रधर्मे प्रशस्तां हि प्राप्तोडस्मि परमां गतिम् । नैष धर्मो महीपाला: शरतल्पगतस्य मे
kṣatradharme praśastāṃ hi prāpto ’smi paramāṃ gatim | naiṣa dharmo mahīpālāḥ śaratālpagatasya me ||
Melalui dharma ksatria yang dipuji itu, aku telah mencapai jalan tertinggi. Wahai para raja, bagi diriku yang kini terbaring di ranjang anak panah, inilah bukan lagi tata laku yang patut bagiku.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts the glory of fulfilling kṣatriya-dharma—seen as leading to a ‘supreme destiny’—with the recognition that one’s appropriate conduct (dharma) changes with circumstance; a warrior’s active code is not the same when one is incapacitated and near death.
In the Bhīṣma Parva context, the speaker reports a reflection tied to the battlefield situation: the ideal of attaining the highest end through righteous warrior-duty is affirmed, yet it is also stated that such a code is not applicable for someone lying on a bed of arrows (a clear allusion to Bhīṣma’s condition).