The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c22.59

v1.c22.59

For the common members of the military caste to die in bed was a disgrace (VI, 17, 11 and often). The mass of the soldiers fight for their chief and when he falls they are disorganised and run away. The knights, however, contending for glory as well as for their king, remain fighting though the mass desert them. Their motto is, ‘Sweet it is to die in battle; the path to heaven lies in fighting’ (*Mbh*., VIII, 93, 55 f.). In peace the warrior, supported by the king, lived at ease and the nobles spent the time carousing and enjoying themselves. In war the warrior lived and fought for glory as well as for his chief. In the case of Karṇa, who was an independent king, revenge and desire for glory are blended; but most of the epic kings are in the war as allies of one side or the other and have no personal motive in fighting except to win renown. ‘A hero lives as long as his fame reaches heaven’ (*Mbh*., III, 313, 20); ‘Glory is preferable to life’ (*ibid*. 31). And again, ‘Only he who has glory wins heaven’ (says Karṇa, *ibid*. III, 300, 31). The exhortation to fight valorously is based upon the precept that whether slaying or slain one is blessed, ‘for he who is slain in battle obtains heaven, and if he slays he obtains fame’ (*ibid*. XI, 2, 14). Every hero boasts of his great deeds performed and to be performed, even while deprecating boasting as a folly. The heroes boast of their families as well as of their prowess¹.