Shloka 48
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
राजान: क्षत्रधर्मेण यदि वध्यन्ति संयुगे । वीरलोकं समासाद्य सुखं प्राप्स्पन्ति केवलम्,“यदि राजालोग क्षत्रियधर्मके अनुसार युद्धमें मारे जायँगे तो वीरलोकको प्राप्त होकर केवल सुखके भागी होंगे
rājānaḥ kṣatradharmeṇa yadi vadhyanti saṃyuge | vīralokaṃ samāsādya sukhaṃ prāpsyanti kevalam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: If kings, adhering to the warrior’s duty, are slain in battle, then upon reaching the heroes’ realm they attain nothing but happiness. The verse frames death in righteous combat as ethically meaningful and spiritually rewarding within the kṣatriya code.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts that for rulers who follow kṣatriya-dharma, being killed in a righteous battle is not viewed as moral failure but as a duty-fulfilled death that leads to the vīraloka, a state characterized by happiness.
Vaiśampāyana, narrating the events around the Kurukṣetra conflict, articulates the traditional warrior ethic: kings who fall in combat while upholding their martial duty are said to reach the heroes’ realm and enjoy bliss.