Shloka 38
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply
दृष्टवा विराटनगरे भ्रातरं निहतं प्रियम् । धनंजयेन विक्रम्प किमनेन तदा कृतम्
dṛṣṭvā virāṭanagare bhrātaraṃ nihataṃ priyam | dhanaṃjayena vikrāntaṃ kim anena tadā kṛtam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana sprach: „Als er in der Stadt Virāṭa sah, wie sein geliebter Bruder direkt vor seinen Augen von Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna), der seine Tapferkeit entfaltete, erschlagen wurde—was konnte dieser Mann damals Arjuna antun? Welchen Schaden vermochte er zuzufügen, obwohl er alles mit eigenen Augen gesehen hatte?“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the disparity between anger or grievance and actual capability: even after witnessing a grievous loss, a person may be unable to retaliate against a truly superior warrior. It implicitly highlights the ethical and strategic reality that power and competence shape outcomes in conflict, not merely emotion.
Vaiśaṃpāyana recalls an earlier incident in Virāṭa’s city where Arjuna (Dhanaṃjaya) killed someone’s beloved brother in full view while demonstrating his valor. The speaker uses this memory to argue that the person in question was powerless to harm Arjuna then, implying continued inability now.