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

Transliteration

gobrāhmaṇahitārthāya raṇe cābhimukho hataḥ | tretāgnimantrapūtātmā samāviśya dvijo bhavet ||

Translation

Nếu một người, với tâm trí được thanh tịnh nhờ chăm sóc ba ngọn lửa thiêng bằng thần chú, bị giết nơi chiến địa khi đối mặt kẻ thù vì lợi ích của bò và các Bà-la-môn, thì nhờ công đức ấy, người ấy tái sinh làm bậc “hai lần sinh” — một brāhmaṇa.

Word by Word

• गोब्राह्मणहितार्थाय: for the sake of the welfare of cows and Brahmins
• गोब्राह्मणहितार्थाय: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो-ब्राह्मण-हित-अर्थ
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अभिमुखः: facing (the enemy), confronting
• अभिमुखः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिमुख
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हतः: killed, slain
• हतः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (हत)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• त्रेताग्निमन्त्रपूतात्मा: one whose self is purified by mantras of the three sacred fires
• त्रेताग्निमन्त्रपूतात्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रेता-अग्नि-मन्त्र-पूत-आत्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• समाविश्य: having entered, having attained
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-विश्
• Form: Absolutive (Gerund)

• द्विजः: a twice-born (Brahmin)
• द्विजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: would become
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative (Vidhi-lin), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Maheśvara (speaker)
• cows (go)
• Brahmins (brāhmaṇa)
• three sacred fires (tretāgni)

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.