Shloka 253

Devanagari script

निधन तन्मया प्राप्तं को नु स्वन्ततरो मया । “अपने धर्मका पालन करनेवाले क्षत्रिय-बन्धुओंको जो अभीष्ट है, वैसी ही मृत्यु मुझे प्राप्त हुई है; अतः मुझसे अच्छा अन्त और किसका हुआ होगा?

Transliteration

nidhanaṁ tanmayā prāptaṁ ko nu svantataro mayā |

Translation

三阇耶说道：“我得到了守持刹帝利达摩之宗亲所向往的那种死亡。因此，世间又有谁能比我得着更好的结局呢？”

Word by Word

• निधनम्: death, end
• निधनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: निधन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तत्: that (such)
• तत्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

• प्राप्तम्: obtained, attained
• प्राप्तम्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्राप्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: किम्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नु: indeed, then (interrogative particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नु

• स्वन्ततरः: better, more fortunate
• स्वन्ततरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वन्ततर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Comparative (तर)

• मया: than me / compared with me
• मया: Karana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: —, Instrumental, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames death through the lens of dharma: for a kṣatriya, an end aligned with duty and honor is considered auspicious, and one should measure ‘good fortune’ not by survival but by fidelity to righteous obligation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reflects on the manner of death as fulfilling the ideal sought by duty-bound warrior kinsmen, asserting that such an end is the best possible and leaves no room for envy of another’s fate.