Shloka 3
अर्जुनस्य युधिष्ठिरं प्रति क्षात्रधर्मोपदेशः | Arjuna’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira on Kṣatra-Dharma
क्षत्रियाणां महाराज संग्रामे निधनं मतम् । विशिष्ट बहुभिय॑ज्ञि: क्षत्रधर्ममनुस्मर,“महाराज! आप क्षत्रियधर्मको स्मरण तो कीजिये, क्षत्रियोंके लिये संग्राममें मर जाना तो बहुसंख्यक यज्ञोंसे भी बढ़कर माना गया है
vaiśampāyana uvāca | kṣatriyāṇāṃ mahārāja saṅgrāme nidhanaṃ matam | viśiṣṭaṃ bahubhir yajñaiḥ kṣatradharmam anusmara ||
“Wahai Maharaja, ingatlah dharma seorang kṣatriya. Bagi para kṣatriya, gugur di medan perang dipandang lebih mulia daripada pahala banyak yajña.”
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.