Mahabharata 11.9.21 — Stree Parva, Adhyaya 9, Shloka 21
स्त्रीपर्व — नवमोऽध्यायः | Dhṛtarāṣṭra summons the Kuru women; the city departs in collective lamentation
एवं राजंस्तवाचक्षे स्वर्ग्य पन््थानमुत्तमम् । न युद्धादधिकं किंचित् क्षत्रियस्येह विद्यते
evaṁ rājan tava ācakṣe svargyaṁ panthānam uttamam | na yuddhād adhikaṁ kiñcit kṣatriyasyeha vidyate ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Tâu Đại vương, ta xin chỉ bày cho ngài con đường tối thượng dẫn đến cõi trời. Ở đời này, đối với một kṣatriya, không có phương tiện nào vượt hơn chiến trận để đạt thiên giới.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a dharma-based ethic: for a kṣatriya, righteous battle undertaken as duty is presented as the foremost ‘svargya’ (heaven-leading) path, implying that fulfilling one’s ordained role can be spiritually consequential.
Vaiśampāyana addresses the King and frames an instruction about the highest means to attain heaven for a warrior-ruler, emphasizing that nothing surpasses battle for a kṣatriya within the worldly order being discussed.
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