Mahabharata — Svargarohana Parva, Shloka 14
स्वर्गे दुर्योधनदर्शनम् | Duryodhana Seen in Heaven
Triviṣṭapa
वीरलोकगति): प्राप्ता युद्धे हुत्वा55त्मनस्तनुम् । यूयं सर्वे सुरसमा येन युद्धे समासिता:
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca — vīralokagatiṃ prāptā yuddhe hutvā ātmanas tanum | yūyaṃ sarve surasamā yena yuddhe samāsitāḥ |
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: “Narating nila ang hantungan ng mga bayani, sapagkat inihandog nila ang sarili nilang katawan bilang alay sa digmaan. Sapagkat tumindig silang matatag sa labanan laban sa inyong lahat—mga magkakapatid na nagniningning na tila mga diyos. Kaya, sa pagharap sa kamatayan sa pakikidigma nang walang pag-urong, narating nila ang antas na iginagawad ng kodigo ng kṣatriya.”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames death in righteous battle as a sacrificial offering: those who do not retreat and meet combat according to kṣatriya-dharma attain the ‘hero’s destiny’ (vīralokagati). It ethically interprets wartime death not as mere loss but as a dharmic culmination when aligned with duty and courage.
Vaiśaṃpāyana explains to the listeners that the warriors who confronted the Pāṇḍavas steadfastly in the great war have reached the heroic realm. The statement justifies their posthumous status by emphasizing their unwavering stand and the kṣatriya code governing battlefield conduct.