Shloka 24
Kṣātra-dharma in Campaign and Battle: Protection, Purification, and the Ideal Warrior’s End (क्षात्रधर्मः—अभियानयुद्धे रक्षणदानशुद्धिः)
अविक्षतेन देहेन प्रलयं योडधिगच्छति । क्षत्रियो नास्य तत् कर्म प्रशंसन्ति पुराविद:
avikṣatena dehena pralayaṃ yo ’dhigacchati | kṣatriyo nāsya tat karma praśaṃsanti purāvidaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Seorang kṣatriya yang menemui maut ketika tubuhnya masih tidak terluka—rebah dalam kelemahan, bukan berdiri teguh di medan perang—tidak memperoleh pujian atas perbuatannya daripada orang bijaksana yang mengetahui adat purba. Menurut tata-aturan pahlawan, kematian harus dihadapi dengan keberanian dan keteguhan, bukan dengan runtuhnya jiwa dan ratapan tanpa pernah ditimpa luka.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that for a kshatriya, honorable conduct requires courage and steadfastness; dying without having faced injury or combat—through collapse, fear, or lamentation—is not commended by authorities on ancient dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is advising about proper warrior conduct, contrasting praised death in the line of duty with blameworthy death that comes without battle or wounds.