हस्त्यश्वरथसम्बाधे युद्धे शस्त्रसमाकुले।
मा स्म कार्षीत्सतां धर्मं यस्यार्योऽनुमते गतः॥
hasty-aśva-ratha-sambādhe yuddhe śastra-samākule
mā sma kārṣīt satāṁ dharmaṁ yasyāryo ’numate gataḥ
hasti-aśva-ratha-sambādhe = crowded with elephants, horses and chariots; yuddhe = in a battle; śastra-samākule = and filled with weapons [thrown at each other]; mā sma kārṣīt = [may the sinful reaction of he who] does not execute; satām = of heroes; dharmam = the dharma; yasya = [belong to him] whose; āryaḥ = the noble Rāma; anumate = with consent; gataḥ = departed [to the forest].
[May the sinful reaction of he, who] does not execute the dharma of heroes in a battle crowded with elephants, horses and chariots, and filled with weapons [thrown at each other, belong to him] with whose consent the noble Rāma departed [to the forest].1
1 This means: May he who consents to noble Rāma’s departure to the forest attain the sinful reaction of a person who does not execute the dharma of heroes in a battle. What sort of battle is being referred to here? A battle crowded with elephants, horses and chariots. A battle filled with weapons thrown at each other.
The dharma of heroes in battle is to not flee from battle alive [when it is obvious that they will die in the battle].
NOTE. One of the qualities of a genuine kṣatriya is to not flee from battle, a symptom of “courage in battle”: yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam. (Bhagavad-gītā 18.43)
Śrīla Prabhupāda explains this feature as follows:
Of course, in modern politics, the king or president does not come onto the battlefield to exhibit his courage. He simply appears when there is a battle of words, but when there is an actual battle, he remains in a secluded place and lets the citizens fight. And he institutes a draft board to assure that they will. According to the Vedic system, however, when there is a fight, the king or president must be present on the battlefield and should lead the fight himself so that his men will be encouraged. This is called yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam. The leader of a nation should fight with all his ability and be determined either to gain victory in the battle, or lay down his life. (Dialectic Spiritualism, Chapter 4)