न हि शौर्यात्परं किञ्चित् त्रिषु लोकेषु विद्यते। शूरः सर्वं पालयति सर्वं शूरे प्रतिष्ठितम्॥
na hi śauryāt paraṃ kiñcit triṣu lokeṣu vidyate । śūraḥ sarvaṃ pālayati sarvaṃ śūre pratiṣṭhitam ॥
PM's MessageThe life of immortal revolutionary Chandra Shekhar Azad tells us that the resolve to remain firm against injustice is true valor. The saga of his sacrifice for the motherland will continue to inspire every generation of the country.
Meaning of Na Hi Śauryāt Paraṃ
There is no element more transcendent than bravery in the three worlds. Valor is the fundamental force that nourishes and protects the animate and inanimate world. All worldly dignity, prosperity and duty exist solely in the valor of the valiant.
Word by word
- न हिna hi
there is not
- शौर्यात्śauryāt
than valour
√शूर्
- परम्param
higher
पर
- किञ्चित्kiñcit
anything
- त्रिषु लोकेषुtriṣu lokeṣu
in the three worlds
त्रि + लोक
- विद्यतेvidyate
exists
√विद्
- शूरःśūraḥ
the brave one
√शूर्
- सर्वम्sarvam
everything
सर्व
- पालयतिpālayati
protects
√पाल्
- शूरेśūre
in the brave one
√शूर्
- प्रतिष्ठितम्pratiṣṭhitam
is established
प्रति + √स्था
Commentary
The verse places śaurya, valor, among the highest protective forces in worldly life. Here courage is not reckless aggression; it is the readiness to face danger so that dignity, order, and duty can endure. The claim that nothing surpasses valor is deliberately emphatic, reminding listeners that good principles remain fragile when no one is prepared to defend them. Shared in remembrance of Chandra Shekhar Azad, the verse was applied to his fearless commitment to independence. That historical context illustrates its ideal of protective courage without exhausting the verse's wider meaning. The second line is the stronger of the two and is built as a pair: the brave protects everything, and everything rests on the brave. The first half makes valour an activity, the second makes it a foundation, and the verse asserts both at once. Read within the Shanti Parva, where Bhishma is setting out the duties of a king, the claim is about the office rather than about a temperament — it explains why protection is the ruler's first obligation.
Sources and textual variants
Original Post
More from Mahabharata
View source pageनित्यं परिचरेच्चैव तद्वै सुकृतमुत्तमम्। कीर्तिं पुण्यं यशो लोकान् प्राप्स्यसे राजसत्तम॥
nityaṃ paricareccaiva tadvai sukṛtamuttamam । kīrtiṃ puṇyaṃ yaśo lokān prāpsyase rājasattama ॥
Daily service is praised as an excellent deed that brings merit, renown and higher realms.
अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्रः करुण एव च। निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः समदुःखसुखः क्षमी॥
adveṣṭā sarvabhūtānāṃ maitraḥ karuṇa eva ca । nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī ॥
The Bhagavad Gita describes a character free from hatred and ego, friendly to all beings and steady in joy and sorrow.
स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः। स्वकर्मनिरतः सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति तच्छृणु॥
sve sve karmaṇyabhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ । svakarmanirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tacchṛṇu ॥
The Bhagavad Gita teaches that devotion to one's own work is a path to perfection.
More subhashitams on Courage
View topic pageदेव्या यया ततमिदं जगदात्मशक्त्या निश्शेषदेवगणशक्तिसमूहमूर्त्या। तामम्बिकामखिलदेवमहर्षिपूज्यां भक्त्या नताः स्म विदधातु शुभानि सा नः॥
devyā yayā tatamidaṃ jagadātmaśaktyā niśśeṣadevagaṇaśaktisamūhamūrtyā । tāmambikāmakhiladevamaharṣipūjyāṃ bhaktyā natāḥ sma vidadhātu śubhāni sā naḥ ॥
A prayer from Devi Mahatmyam to Ambika, who pervades the world and embodies all divine powers, asking for blessings for everyone.
वत्सराजोऽपि तं प्राप्तं प्रदत्तोपायनं नृपम्। प्रीत्या सम्मानयामास शूरा हि प्रणतिप्रियाः॥
vatsarājo 'pi taṃ prāptaṃ pradattopāyanaṃ nṛpam । prītyā sammānayāmāsa śūrā hi praṇatipriyāḥ ॥
Vatsaraja honours a king who comes with gifts, illustrating the brave person's regard for respectful homage.
भस्मीकृतस्वार्थसौख्यपरिचर्चितविग्रहाः। स्वराज्ययोगनिर्मग्ना धन्यास्ते वीरयोगिनः॥
bhasmīkṛtasvārthasaukhyaparicarcitavigrahāḥ । svarājyayoganirmagnā dhanyās te vīrayoginaḥ ॥
The verse praises heroic practitioners who renounce personal comforts and devote themselves fully to self-rule.