Shloka 44

धर्मनिन्दा–धर्मोपासनाफलम् तथा साध्वाचारलक्षणम्

Fruits of Disparaging vs. Observing Dharma; Marks of Good Conduct

Devanagari script

गोब्राह्मणहितार्थाय रणे चाभिमुखो हत: । त्रेताग्निमन्त्रपूतात्मा समाविश्य द्विजो भवेत्‌,वह धर्ममें स्थित हो त्रिविध अग्नियोंकी मन्त्रपूर्वक परिचरयसि पवित्रचित्त हो यदि गौओं तथा ब्राह्मणोंके हितके लिये समरमें शत्रुका सामना करते हुए मारा जाय तो दूसरे जन्ममें ब्राह्मण होता है

Transliteration

gobrāhmaṇahitārthāya raṇe cābhimukho hataḥ | tretāgnimantrapūtātmā samāviśya dvijo bhavet ||

Translation

गोब्राह्मणहितार्थाय रणे चाभिमुखो हतः। त्रेताग्निमन्त्रपूतात्मा समाविश्य द्विजो भवेत्॥

Word by Word

गोब्राह्मणहितार्थायfor the sake of the welfare of cows and Brahmins

रणेin battle

चand

अभिमुखःfacing (the enemy), confronting

हतःkilled, slain

त्रेताग्निमन्त्रपूतात्माone whose self is purified by mantras of the three sacred fires

समाविश्यhaving entered, having attained

द्विजःa twice-born (Brahmin)

भवेत्would become

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Maheśvara (speaker)

cows (go)

Brahmins (brāhmaṇa)

three sacred fires (tretāgni)

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Righteous intent (protecting cows and Brahmins) combined with ritual purity and courageous, non-retreating conduct in battle is presented as highly meritorious, yielding an exalted rebirth—here stated as birth as a Brahmin.

What is happening in the narrative?

Maheśvara states a dharma-fruit (phala) teaching: a person devoted to the Vedic three-fire discipline who dies while directly confronting the enemy for the community’s sacred welfare attains a superior next birth.