Shloka 13
Kṣātra-dharma in Campaign and Battle: Protection, Purification, and the Ideal Warrior’s End (क्षात्रधर्मः—अभियानयुद्धे रक्षणदानशुद्धिः)
यदस्य रुधिरं गात्रादाहवे सम्प्रवर्तते । सह तेनैव रक्तेन सर्वपापै: प्रमुच्यते
yad asya rudhiraṃ gātrād āhave sampravartate | saha tenaiva raktena sarvapāpaiḥ pramucyate ||
Bhishma berkata: “Apabila darah seorang pahlawan mengalir dari tubuhnya di tengah pertempuran, maka bersama darah itu jugalah dia dilepaskan daripada segala dosa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a traditional kṣatriya-ethical idea: suffering and bloodshed endured in rightful battle are viewed as expiatory, so that the warrior who bleeds in combat is considered purified from sins.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the duties of rulers and warriors; here he states that blood shed from one’s body in battle functions as a means of release from sin.