Shloka 13
Chapter 26: Śoka-pratiṣedha, Hata-saṅkhyā, Gati-vibhāga, Pretakārya-ājñā
Restraint of Grief, Count of the Slain, Destinies, and Funerary Directives
युधिष्ठिरने कहा--जिन लोगोंने इस महासमरमें बड़े हर्ष और उत्साहके साथ अपने शरीरोंकी आहुति दी है, वे सत्यपराक्रमी वीर देवराज इन्द्रके समान लोकोंमें गये हैं ।। ये त्वह्ृष्टेन मनसा मर्तव्यमिति भारत | युध्यमाना हता: संख्ये गन्धर्व: सह संगता:,भारत! जो अप्रसन्न मनसे मरनेका निश्चय करके रणक्षेत्रमें जूझते हुए मारे गये हैं, वे गन्धर्वोंके साथ जा मिले हैं
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca—ye tv hṛṣṭena manasā martavyam iti bhārata | yudhyamānā hatāḥ saṅkhye gandharvaiḥ saha saṅgatāḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Bhārata, those who entered the battle resolved to die with a joy-filled mind, and who were slain while fighting in the thick of combat—such men have gone to the realms of the Gandharvas. (By contrast, those who offered up their bodies in this great war with gladness and high ardor attain worlds like that of Indra.)”
युधिछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes that a warrior’s inner disposition at the moment of choosing and entering battle—especially courage, resolve, and uplifted intent—shapes the posthumous destination. Ethical weight is placed not only on the act of fighting but on the mental resolve (bhāva) with which one meets death.
In the aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war (Strī Parva’s lamentation context), Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the fate of those who died in combat. He classifies the slain according to their mindset and resolve in battle, describing the celestial association attained by those who fought and died with a particular inner attitude.