Shloka 24
Kṣātra-dharma in Campaign and Battle: Protection, Purification, and the Ideal Warrior’s End (क्षात्रधर्मः—अभियानयुद्धे रक्षणदानशुद्धिः)
अविक्षतेन देहेन प्रलयं योडधिगच्छति । क्षत्रियो नास्य तत् कर्म प्रशंसन्ति पुराविद:
avikṣatena dehena pralayaṃ yo ’dhigacchati | kṣatriyo nāsya tat karma praśaṃsanti purāvidaḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“刹帝利若在身无创伤之时便迎来死亡——软弱崩溃而非立于战阵——通晓古道的贤者不以此举为可称。依武士之律，死亡当以勇毅与镇定相迎，而非未受一击便哀号溃散。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that for a kshatriya, honorable conduct requires courage and steadfastness; dying without having faced injury or combat—through collapse, fear, or lamentation—is not commended by authorities on ancient dharma.
In the Shanti Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhishma is advising about proper warrior conduct, contrasting praised death in the line of duty with blameworthy death that comes without battle or wounds.