Udyoga Parva 142: Vidura’s warning to Kuntī and Kuntī’s resolve to meet Karṇa
Gaṅgātīra encounter begins
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच उपस्थितविनाशेयं नूनमद्य वसुन्धरा । यथा हि मे वच: कर्ण नोपैति हृदयं तव
śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca | upasthita-vināśeyaṃ nūnam adya vasundharā | yathā hi me vacaḥ karṇa nopaiti hṛdayaṃ tava ||
শ্রীকৃষ্ণ বললেন—কর্ণ! নিশ্চয়ই আজ এই পৃথিবীর উপর বিনাশের ক্ষণ উপস্থিত হয়েছে; তাই তোমার মঙ্গলের জন্য বলা আমার বাক্যও তোমার হৃদয়ে প্রবেশ করছে না।
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
When a person’s inner disposition is hardened by attachment, pride, or prior commitments, even sound ethical counsel fails to take root. Kṛṣṇa frames this refusal as a sign of a broader moral collapse—an approaching ‘destruction’ that is as much ethical as it is physical.
In the Udyoga Parva, Kṛṣṇa attempts to dissuade Karṇa from supporting the Kauravas and urges a dharmic course. Here Kṛṣṇa laments that his words do not penetrate Karṇa’s heart, interpreting this resistance as an omen that the world is nearing the catastrophic war and its consequences.