द्वौ सम्मताविह मृत्यू दुरापौ यद् ब्रह्मसन्धारणया जितासु: । कलेवरं योगरतो विजह्याद् यदग्रणीर्वीरशयेऽनिवृत्त: ॥ ३३ ॥
dvau sammatav iha mrtyu durapau yad brahma-sandharanaya jitasuh kalevaram yoga-rato vijahyad yad agranir vira-saye ’nivrttah
- dvau
- two
- sammatau
- approved (by sastra and great personalities)
- iha
- in this world
- mrtyu
- deaths
- durapau
- extremely rare
- yat
- which
- brahma-sandharanaya
- with concentration on Brahman, Paramatma or Parabrahma, Krsna
- jita-asuh
- controlling the mind and senses
- kalevaram
- the body
- yoga-ratah
- being engaged in the performance of yoga
- vijahyat
- one may leave
- yat
- which
- agranih
- taking the lead
- vira-saye
- on the battlefield
- anivrttah
- not turning back
There are two ways to meet a glorious death, and both are very rare. One is to die after performing mystic yoga, especially bhakti-yoga, by which one can control the mind and living force and die absorbed in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The second is to die on the battlefield, leading the army and never showing one’s back. These two kinds of death are recommended in the sastra as glorious.