Shloka 4
Strī Parva, Adhyāya 2 — Vidura’s Consolation on Kāla, Karma, and the Limits of Lamentation (विदुरोपदेशः)
यदा शूरं च भीरुं च यम: कर्षति भारत । तत् कि न योत्स्यन्ति हि ते क्षत्रिया: क्षत्रियर्षभ,भरतनन्दन! क्षत्रियशिरोमणे! जब शूरवीर और डरपोक दोनोंको ही यमराज खींच ले जाते हैं, तब वे क्षत्रियलोग युद्ध क्यों न करते!
yadā śūraṃ ca bhīruṃ ca yamaḥ karṣati bhārata | tat kiṃ na yotsyanti hi te kṣatriyāḥ kṣatriyarṣabha ||
“ಓ ಭಾರತನೇ! ಓ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠನೇ! ಯಮನು ಶೂರನನ್ನೂ ಭೀರುವನ್ನೂ—ಇಬ್ಬರನ್ನೂ ಎಳೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಹೋಗುವಾಗ, ಆ ಕ್ಷತ್ರಿಯರು ಯುದ್ಧ ಮಾಡದೆ ಏಕೆ ಇರಬೇಕು?”
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Since death (Yama) comes equally to the brave and the fearful, a Kṣatriya should choose courageous action aligned with duty—fighting when righteousness and role-demand require it—rather than seeking safety through cowardice.
In the aftermath of the war (Strī Parva context), Vidura addresses a Kuru elder as “Bhārata,” using a stark reminder of mortality to argue that warriors cannot evade fate; therefore, they should uphold Kṣatriya duty and not shrink from battle.