Shloka 9
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
द्विविधं कर्म शूराणां युद्धे जयपराजयौ । तौ चाप्यनित्यौ राधेय वासवस्यापि युध्यत:,'राधानन्दन! युद्धमें शूरवीरोंके दो प्रकारके कर्म (परिणाम) देखे जाते हैं--जय और पराजय। यदि इन्द्र भी युद्ध करें तो उनके लिये भी वे दोनों परिणाम अनिश्ित हैं (अर्थात् यह निश्चित नहीं कि कब किसकी विजय होगी और कब किसकी पराजय)
sañjaya uvāca | dvividhaṃ karma śūrāṇāṃ yuddhe jayaparājayau | tau cāpyanityau rādheya vāsavasyāpi yudhyataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “In battle, the outcomes that befall the valiant are of two kinds—victory and defeat. And even these are not fixed, O son of Rādhā; even for Vāsava (Indra) were he to fight, victory and defeat would remain uncertain.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
War does not guarantee a fixed outcome; even the mightiest can face either victory or defeat. The verse underscores humility and realism in martial ethics: a warrior should act with resolve without presuming certainty of success.
Sañjaya addresses Karṇa (Rādheya), reflecting on the nature of battle. He emphasizes that for heroes the results in war are only two—victory or defeat—and that neither is assured, invoking even Indra as an example to stress the unpredictability of combat.