श्रीराम उवाच । भगवञ्छूरशब्देन कीदृशः प्रोच्यते भटः । स्वर्गालङ्करणं कः स्यात् को वा डिम्भाहवो भवेत् ॥ २३ ॥
śrīrāma uvāca | bhagavañchūraśabdēna kīdṛśaḥ prōcyatē bhaṭaḥ | svargālaṅkaraṇaṁ kaḥ syāt kō vā ḍimbhāhavō bhavēt || 23 ||
Translation
Rāma said: Lord, what kind of warrior is meant by the word "hero"? Who is an ornament of heaven, and what is a "child's fight"?
Word by word
- bhagavañ
- (bhagavan) Lord
- śūra
- "hero"
- śabdēna
- by the word
- kīdṛśaḥ
- what kind of
- prōcyatē
- is meant
- bhaṭaḥ
- warrior
- svarga
- of heaven
- alaṅkaraṇaṁ
- an ornament
- kaḥ
- who
- syāt
- is
- kō
- (kaḥ) what
- vā
- and
- ḍimbha
- a child's
- āhavō
- (āhavaḥ) fight
- bhavēt
- is
Meaning
Rāma catches on the word "hero" (śūra), used again and again in the description, and asks what it truly means. Not everyone who dies in battle goes to heaven: there must be a difference between the hero heaven welcomes and the man killed in a "child's fight" (ḍimbhāhava), a squabble or brawl with no dharma in it. The first commentary: the verses have not named such a fight, but since it is the opposite of the hero who adorns heaven, the question belongs here.