Shloka 12
Bala and Dharma in Kṣatriya Governance (बल-धर्म सम्बन्धः)
हतो वा दिवमारोहेद्धत्वा वा क्षितिमावसेत् । युद्धे हि संत्यजन् प्राणान् शक्रस्यैति सलोकताम्
hato vā divam ārohed dhatvā vā kṣitim āvaset | yuddhe hi saṃtyajan prāṇān śakrasya eti salokatām ||
毗湿摩宣示：战阵之中，武士只有两种严峻的结局——若被杀，则登天界；若杀敌，则留在人间享受王权。凡于战斗之际舍身者，必往因陀罗之界，与之同住。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battle-duty in terms of dharmic resolve and its fruits: a warrior who does not shrink from combat gains either earthly sovereignty if victorious or heavenly attainment—specifically Indra’s realm—if he dies while fighting.
In Śānti Parva, Bhīṣma instructs on righteous conduct and social duties; here he articulates a traditional kṣatriya rationale for steadfastness in war, contrasting the outcomes of being slain versus slaying the enemy, and linking death in battle to reaching Śakra’s world.