Shloka 31
Pradyumna–Śālva Missile-Exchange at Saubha (Āraṇyaka Parva, Adhyāya 18)
न जीवितमहं सौते बहु मनन््ये कथंचन । अपयातो रणाद् भीत: पृष्ठतो5भ्याहत: शरै:,'सूतपुत्र! पीठपर बाणोंकी चोट खाकर भयभीत हो युद्धसे भागनेवालेके जीवनको मैं किसी प्रकार भी अधिक आदर नहीं देता
na jīvitam ahaṃ saute bahu manye kathaṃcana | apayāto raṇād bhītaḥ pṛṣṭhato 'bhyāhataḥ śaraiḥ ||
Vāyu berkata: “Wahai putra Sūta, aku sama sekali tidak memuliakan hidup orang yang, karena takut, berpaling dari pertempuran dan lari—hingga dipanahi dari belakang. Hidup yang dipertahankan oleh mundur pengecut tak layak dihormati.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds the warrior-ethic that life preserved through fearful retreat is not honorable; true worth lies in courage and steadfastness in one’s duty, not mere survival.
Vāyu addresses a ‘Sūta’s son’ and condemns the act of fleeing the battlefield in fear—especially the shame of being wounded by arrows from behind—framing it as a dishonorable way to cling to life.