परिपाल्य स्वदेशैकपालने यः स्थितः सदा । राजा मृतास्तदर्थं ये ते वीरा वीरलोकिनः ॥ २९ ॥
paripālya svadēśaikapālanē yaḥ sthitaḥ sadā | rājā mṛtāstadarthaṁ yē tē vīrā vīralōkinaḥ || 29 ||
Translation
The king who stands ever intent on protecting his own land, which must be protected: those who die for him are heroes, who win the heroes' world.
Word by word
- paripālya
- which must be protected
- sva
- his own
- dēśa
- land
- ēka
- ever, solely
- pālanē
- on protecting
- yaḥ
- who
- sthitaḥ
- stands
- sadā
- ever
- rājā
- the king
- mṛtās
- (mṛtāḥ) who die
- tad
- (tat) him
- arthaṁ
- for
- yē
- those
- tē
- they
- vīrā
- heroes
- vīra
- of heroes
- lōkinaḥ
- who win the world
Meaning
A king's war is righteous when it guards his own country. Both commentaries take paripālya as "which must be protected": the land is his charge, and he gives himself to that one task (eka-pālane), the first commentary: as his chief work. Those who die in such a king's service are true heroes.