Mahabharata — Svargarohana Parva, Shloka 14
स्वर्गे दुर्योधनदर्शनम् | Duryodhana Seen in Heaven
Triviṣṭapa
वीरलोकगति): प्राप्ता युद्धे हुत्वा55त्मनस्तनुम् । यूयं सर्वे सुरसमा येन युद्धे समासिता:
Vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca — vīralokagatiṃ prāptā yuddhe hutvā ātmanas tanum | yūyaṃ sarve surasamā yena yuddhe samāsitāḥ |
毗舍摩波耶那说道：“他们以战场为祭坛，将自身之躯作供献，遂得勇士之归趣。因为他们在战争中坚立不退，迎战你们众人——如天神般光辉的诸兄弟。故而，他们在交锋中无所畏惧地赴死，便抵达刹帝利之法所赐的位阶。”
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames death in righteous battle as a sacrificial offering: those who do not retreat and meet combat according to kṣatriya-dharma attain the ‘hero’s destiny’ (vīralokagati). It ethically interprets wartime death not as mere loss but as a dharmic culmination when aligned with duty and courage.
Vaiśaṃpāyana explains to the listeners that the warriors who confronted the Pāṇḍavas steadfastly in the great war have reached the heroic realm. The statement justifies their posthumous status by emphasizing their unwavering stand and the kṣatriya code governing battlefield conduct.