Shloka 23
Chapter 15: Counsel on Initiative vs. Renunciation in the Rajasuya Project (सभापर्व, अध्याय १५)
क्षत्रिय: शस्त्रमरणो यदा भवति सत्कृत: । ततः सम मागधं संख्ये प्रतिबाधेम यद् वयम्
kṣatriyaḥ śastramaraṇo yadā bhavati satkṛtaḥ | tataḥ saṃ māgadhaṃ saṅkhye pratibādhema yad vayam ||
Wika ni Kṛṣṇa: “Para sa isang kṣatriya, ang mamatay sa sandata sa digmaan ay siya nang marangal na pagtanggap. Kaya harapin natin ang haring Magadha (Jarāsandha) sa isang tunggaliang isa-sa-isa sa larangan at pabagsakin siya.”
कृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa frames a warrior’s death by weapons in rightful battle as an honour (satkāra), expressing the Mahābhārata’s kṣatriya-dharma ideal that courage and acceptance of battle-death, when aligned with duty, is not disgrace but esteem.
Kṛṣṇa urges his side to engage the Magadhan ruler Jarāsandha directly in battlefield single combat, arguing that such a confrontation accords with warrior ethics and that defeating him in a duel is the appropriate course.