अयथाशास्त्रसञ्चारवृत्तेरर्थेन युध्यते । यो नरस्तस्य सङ्ग्रामे मृतस्य निरयोऽक्षयः ॥ २६ ॥
ayathāśāstrasañcāravṛttērarthēna yudhyatē | yō narastasya saṅgrāmē mṛtasya nirayō’kṣayaḥ || 26 ||
Translation
The man who fights for one whose ways and conduct go against scripture, if he dies in that battle, has a hell without end.
Word by word
- ayathāśāstra
- against scripture
- sañcāra
- whose ways
- vṛttēr
- (vṛtteḥ) and conduct
- arthēna
- for the sake of one
- yudhyatē
- fights
- yō
- (yaḥ) who
- naras
- (naraḥ) the man
- tasya
- his
- saṅgrāmē
- in battle
- mṛtasya
- if he dies
- nirayō
- (nirayaḥ) hell
- akṣayaḥ
- without end
Meaning
The same rule said more sharply: to give one's life for a master who lives against dharma is to share his wrong, and the hell that follows is "without end" (akṣaya), the commentary: lasting. One cannot hand over one's conscience to a master and be free of what he does with it.