Shloka 9
कृष्णे वा देवकीपुत्रे मोहितो देवमायया । पार्थे वा शक्रकल्पे वै वधार्थ वासवीं प्रभो,कर्णके हाथमें स्थित हुई वह शक्ति कालरात्रिके समान शत्रुवधके लिये उद्यत थी; परंतु दैवके द्वारा बुद्धि मारी जानेके कारण देवमायासे मोहित हुए कर्णने इन्द्रकी दी हुई उस शक्तिको देवकीनन्दन श्रीकृष्ण अथवा इन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी अर्जुनपर उनके वधके लिये नहीं छोड़ा
sañjaya uvāca |
kṛṣṇe vā devakīputre mohito devamāyayā |
pārthe vā śakrakalpe vai vadhārthaṃ vāsavīṃ prabho ||
Sañjaya said: “Deluded by divine illusion, O lord, Karṇa did not hurl the Vāsavī-śakti (Indra’s spear) with the intent to kill—neither at Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī, nor at Pārtha (Arjuna), who was like Indra in prowess.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even overwhelming power can become ineffective when judgment is clouded by delusion and destiny; in the epic’s ethical frame, victory depends not only on weapons but on clarity of mind, right discernment, and the larger movement of daiva (fate).
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa, though possessing Indra’s deadly Vāsavī-śakti, does not cast it to kill either Kṛṣṇa or Arjuna; he is described as being deluded by divine māyā, implying a fated misdirection of his decisive weapon.