SanskritIASTMeaning
कः हि जानन् अभिजनम्kaḥ hi jānan abhijanamfor what kshatriya, knowing his own
आत्मनः क्षत्रियः नृपātmanaḥ kṣatriyaḥ nṛpalineage, O king,
न आविशेत् स्वर्गम् अतुलम्na āviśet svargam atulamwould not enter the incomparable heaven
रण-अनन्तरम् अव्ययम्raṇa-anantaram avyayamafter [death in] battle, [the heaven that is] imperishable?
स्वर्गम् हि एव समास्थायsvargam hi eva samāsthāyahaving set their minds on heaven [as their goal],
रण-यज्ञेषु दीक्षिताःraṇa-yajñeṣu dīkṣitāḥconsecrated in the sacrifices of battle,
यजन्ते क्षत्रियाः लोकान्yajante kṣatriyāḥ lokānkshatriyas sacrifice [and thereby win] worlds, —
तत् विद्धि मगध-अधिपtat viddhi magadha-adhipaknow this, O lord of Magadha;
कोkooriginal form "ko", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जानन्न्jānannoriginal form "jānann", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
क्षत्रियोkṣatriyooriginal form "kṣatriyo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाविशेत्nāviśetoriginal form "nāviśet", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अतुलंatulaṃoriginal form "atulaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
रणानन्तरम्raṇānantaramoriginal form "raṇānantaram", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
स्वर्गंsvargaṃoriginal form "svargaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ह्य्hyoriginal form "hy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
रणयज्ञेषुraṇayajñeṣuoriginal form "raṇayajñeṣu", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
क्षत्रियाkṣatriyāoriginal form "kṣatriyā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
लोकांस्lokāṃsoriginal form "lokāṃs", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तद्tadoriginal form "tad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मगधाधिपmagadhādhipaoriginal form "magadhādhipa", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here battle for what is right is likened to a sacrifice. It is telling that a kshatriya's death in righteous combat is no loss but a yajna that opens heaven: whoever gives his life for dharma offers the highest sacrifice. Thus scripture shows valor in defense of truth as a path to the world above; what follows concerns victory as the source of heaven.