Shloka 20
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
अनिन्चयज्ञो हि नर: कार्याकार्यविनिश्चये । अवशो मुहाते पार्थ यथा त्वं मूढ एव तु
aniniścayajño hi naraḥ kāryākāryaviniścaye | avaśo muhyate pārtha yathā tvaṃ mūḍha eva tu ||
Ein Mensch, dem die Fähigkeit zu entschiedener Einsicht fehlt, wird hilflos verblendet, wenn es darum geht zu bestimmen, was zu tun ist und was nicht zu tun ist. O Pārtha, er gerät in Verwirrung — so wie auch du jetzt verwirrt bist.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Without firm discernment, a person cannot reliably distinguish duty (kārya) from what is improper (akārya); such indecision makes one helpless before delusion. Kṛṣṇa points to clarity of judgment as essential for dharmic action.
In the Karṇa Parva battle setting, Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna (Pārtha), diagnosing his confusion: when one cannot decide what should or should not be done, one becomes mentally overpowered and deluded—mirroring Arjuna’s present state.