Shloka 22

स्त्रीपर्व — नवमोऽध्यायः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra summons the Kuru women; the city departs in collective lamentation

Devanagari script

क्षत्रियास्ते महात्मान: शूरा: समितिशो भना: । आशिषं परमां प्राप्ता न शोच्या: सर्व एव हि,“वे सभी महामनस्वी क्षत्रिय वीर युद्धमें शोभा पानेवाले थे। वे उत्तम भोगोंसे सम्पन्न पुण्यलोकोंमें जा पहुँचे हैं, अतः उन सबके लिये शोक नहीं करना चाहिये

Transliteration

kṣatriyās te mahātmānaḥ śūrāḥ samitiśobhanāḥ | āśiṣaṃ paramāṃ prāptā na śocyāḥ sarva eva hi ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “Those kṣatriyas were great-souled—heroes who shone in the clash of battle. Having attained the highest blessed state, all of them are not to be mourned.” In the ethical frame of the Strī-parvan, the verse redirects grief toward a dharmic appraisal of death in righteous combat, even while the surrounding narrative remains saturated with human sorrow.

Word by Word

क्षत्रियाःKshatriyas, warriors

तेthose

महात्मानःgreat-souled (men)

शूराःheroic, brave

समितिशोभनाःsplendid in battle

आशिषम्blessing, boon

परमाम्supreme, highest

प्राप्ताःhaving attained

नnot

शोच्याःto be mourned (worthy of mourning)

सर्वेall

एवindeed, just

हिfor, because

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

kṣatriyas (warriors)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the fallen warriors as noble kṣatriyas who fulfilled their martial duty and therefore attained a supreme blessed state; hence, from a dharmic standpoint, excessive lamentation is discouraged.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Strī-parvan’s aftermath of the Kurukṣetra war, Vaiśampāyana describes the slain warriors and offers a consolatory, duty-centered perspective: their heroic death in battle is presented as leading to a higher destiny.