Shloka 13
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
त्वं तु प्राकृतविज्ञानस्तत् तद् वदसि सूतज
tvaṃ tu prākṛtavijñānas tat tad vadasi sūtaja
Du aber, auf gewöhnliches Verständnis beschränkt, redest dies und das, o Sohn eines Wagenlenkers. Die Bemerkung hebt eine moralische Spannung im Kriegsgeschehen hervor: Wenn das Urteil durch halbes Wissen getrübt ist, wird die Rede impulsiv und unzuverlässig, und der Rat verliert sein ethisches Gewicht.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions that speech without refined discernment (vijñāna) becomes scattered and inconsistent (“tat tat”), weakening ethical counsel. In the Mahābhārata’s moral universe, right speech depends on clear understanding and self-restraint, especially amid the pressures of war.
Sañjaya addresses “sūtaja” (Karṇa) with a rebuke, implying that Karṇa’s remarks arise from ordinary or limited understanding and therefore amount to saying ‘this and that.’ The line functions as a sharp critique of Karṇa’s judgment in the charged context of the Drona Parva’s battlefield deliberations.