If, again, those timid p sons,
appreciating that deed of bravery, always respect those defenders, they
do what is proper and just. By acting otherwise they cannot free
themselves from fear. There is great difference between men apparently
equal. Some rush to battle, amid its terrible din, against armed ranks of
foes. Indeed, the hero rushes against crowds of foes, adopting the road
to heaven. He, however, who is inspired with dastardly fear, seeks safety
in flight, deserting his comrades in danger. Let not such wretches among
men be born in thy race. The very gods with Indra at their head send
calamities unto them that desert their comrades in battle and come with
unwounded limbs. He who desires to save his own life-breaths by deserting
his comrades, should be slain with sticks or stones or rolled in a mat of
dry grass for being burnt to death. Those amongst the Kshatriyas that
would be guilty of such conduct should be killed after the manner of
killing animals.[289] Death on a bed of repose, after ejecting phlegm and
urine and uttering piteous cries, is sinful for a Kshatriya. Persons
acquainted with the scriptures do not applaud the death which a Kshatriya
encounters with unwounded body. The death of a Kshatriya, O sire, at home
is not praiseworthy. They are heroes. Any unheroic act of theirs is
sinful and inglorious. In disease, one may be heard to cry, saying, 'What
sorrow! How painful! I must be a great sinner.' With face emaciated and
stench issuing fro in his body and clothes, the sick man plunges his
relatives into grief.
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