Shloka 18
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply
नारायणस्तथैवात्र भूयसो5न्याज्जघान ह । एवमेतौ महावीरयां तौ पश्यत समागतौ
nārāyaṇas tathaivātra bhūyaso 'nyāj jaghāna ha | evam etau mahāvīryau tau paśyata samāgatau ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Auch hier hat Nārāyaṇa (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) auf dieselbe Weise viele andere Wesen erschlagen. So sind diese beiden Helden von gewaltiger Kraft. Duryodhana, sieh klar und begreife wohl: In diesem Augenblick sind diese beiden zusammengekommen und vereint.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical and strategic warning that when divine power (Kṛṣṇa as Nārāyaṇa) aligns with extraordinary human prowess (implied companion, typically Arjuna in the Khāṇḍava context), opposition should recognize the gravity of consequences. It frames events as not merely political but shaped by overwhelming, even cosmic, agency.
Vaiśampāyana reminds the listener (addressing Duryodhana in the reported speech context) that Kṛṣṇa, as Nārāyaṇa, had previously destroyed many beings during the Khāṇḍava episode, and therefore both of the two mighty figures now stand united. The point is to make Duryodhana ‘see and understand’ the formidable alliance that has formed.