Shloka 39

Devanagari script

न मृतो जयते शत्रूञज्जीवन्‌ भद्राणि पश्यति । मृतस्य भद्राणि कुतः कौरवेय कुतो जय:,“कुरुनन्दन! मरा हुआ मनुष्य कभी शत्रुओंपर विजय नहीं पाता। जो जीवित रहता है वह कभी सुखके दिन भी देखता है। मरे हुए को कहाँ सुख और कहाँ विजय?

Transliteration

na mṛto jayate śatrūñ jīvan bhadrāṇi paśyati | mṛtasya bhadrāṇi kutaḥ kauraveya kuto jayaḥ ||

Translation

“Wahai putra wangsa Kuru! Orang mati tidak menaklukkan musuh. Hanya yang tetap hidup dapat menyaksikan hari-hari mujur. Bagi yang mati, di mana kesejahteraan—dan di mana kemenangan?”

Word by Word

नnot

मृतःdead (man)

जयतेwins, conquers

शत्रून्enemies

अज्indeed/ever (particle; here as in the transmitted text)

जीवन्living, alive

भद्राणिgood things, auspicious (days)

पश्यतिsees

मृतस्यof a dead (man)

भद्राणिgood things, auspicious (things)

कुतःwhence? how (could there be)?

कौरवेयO descendant of Kuru

कुतःwhence? how (could there be)?

जयःvictory

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kauraveya (a descendant of Kuru)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches a practical ethical point: life is the necessary condition for any future good—whether victory, welfare, or the chance to see better days. Therefore, one should not choose self-destruction or futile death in the name of honor, because death ends both agency and the possibility of auspicious outcomes.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana, narrating the epic, conveys counsel addressed to a Kuru-descendant: do not seek a course that leads to death, since a dead person cannot defeat enemies or attain prosperity. The line functions as admonition within a moment of crisis, urging endurance and continued effort rather than fatal resignation.