Shloka 21
स्त्रीपर्व — नवमोऽध्यायः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra summons the Kuru women; the city departs in collective lamentation
एवं राजंस्तवाचक्षे स्वर्ग्य पन््थानमुत्तमम् । न युद्धादधिकं किंचित् क्षत्रियस्येह विद्यते,“राजन! मैं तुम्हें स्वर्गप्राप्तिका सबसे उत्तम मार्ग बता रहा हूँ। इस जगतमें क्षत्रियके लिये युद्धसे बढ़कर स्वर्गसाधक दूसरा कोई उपाय नहीं है
evaṁ rājan tava ācakṣe svargyaṁ panthānam uttamam | na yuddhād adhikaṁ kiñcit kṣatriyasyeha vidyate ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, I declare to you the most excellent path that leads to heaven. In this world, for a kṣatriya there is nothing superior to battle as a means of attaining heaven.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a dharma-based ethic: for a kṣatriya, righteous battle undertaken as duty is presented as the foremost ‘svargya’ (heaven-leading) path, implying that fulfilling one’s ordained role can be spiritually consequential.
Vaiśampāyana addresses the King and frames an instruction about the highest means to attain heaven for a warrior-ruler, emphasizing that nothing surpasses battle for a kṣatriya within the worldly order being discussed.