Shloka 546

Devanagari script

मृतो दुःखं न जानीते प्रेत्य चानन्त्यम श्रुते । 'क्षत्रियधर्मके अनुसार युद्ध करनेवाले वीरोंके लिये संग्रामभूमिमें होनेवाली मृत्यु ही सुखद है; क्योंकि वहाँ मरा हुआ मनुष्य मृत्युके दुःखको नहीं जानता और मृत्युके पश्चात्‌ अक्षय सुखका भागी होता है

Transliteration

mṛto duḥkhaṃ na jānīte pretya cānantyam aśnute |

Translation

Санджая сказал: «Тот, кто умер, не ведает боли смерти; и, покинув этот мир, обретает бесконечное, неистощимое блаженство. Потому для героя, сражающегося по дхарме кшатрия, смерть на поле брани считается благой и даже желанной: она связана с честью, исполненным долгом и обещанной посмертной наградой.»

Word by Word

मृतःa dead (person)

दुःखम्sorrow, pain

नnot

जानीतेknows, experiences

प्रेत्यhaving departed (i.e., after death)

चand

आनन्त्यम्endlessness, infinity (eternal state/bliss)

श्रुतेis heard of, is said to be obtained/known

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse asserts a kṣatriya-ethical ideal: a warrior who dies in righteous battle is not burdened by the felt misery of death and is believed to attain an imperishable posthumous good; therefore, such death is framed as honorable and spiritually beneficial.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating the events of the Kurukṣetra war, articulates a consolatory and motivational principle about battlefield death—presenting it as aligned with warrior duty and as leading to an enduring reward after death.