Shloka 16
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
न यज्ञैर्दक्षिणावद्धिर्न तपोभिरन विद्यया । स्वर्ग यान्ति तथा मर्त्या यथा शूरा रणे हता:,युद्धमें मारे गये शूरवीर जितनी सुगमतासे स्वर्गलोकमें जाते हैं, उतनी सुविधासे मनुष्य प्रचुर दक्षिणावाले यज्ञ, तपस्या और विद्याद्वारा भी नहीं जा सकते
na yajñair dakṣiṇāvaddhir na tapobhir na vidyayā | svargaṃ yānti tathā martyā yathā śūrā raṇe hatāḥ ||
ヴィドゥラは宣言する。凡夫は、豊かな布施を伴う祭祀によっても、苦行によっても、学識によっても、戦場で討たれて倒れた勇士たちほど容易には天界に至らない。戦禍の荒廃ののち、この言葉はクシャトリヤの義務の峻厳な倫理を示す――正しき戦いにおいて勇気をもって死に臨むことは、儀礼・苦行の規律・学問の功徳をも凌ぐ、天上の報いへの直截で迅速な道として描かれる。
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a hierarchy of merit in which courageous death in battle grants a particularly swift access to heaven, even more readily than merit gained through lavish sacrifices, austerities, or learning—highlighting the ideal of kṣatriya-duty and valor in righteous combat.
In the grief-filled context of the Strī Parva after the Kurukṣetra slaughter, Vidura speaks to interpret the meaning of the mass deaths, presenting the fallen warriors’ fate as spiritually elevated and thereby offering a moral frame for understanding the catastrophe.