कर्णपुत्रवधः (The Fall of Vṛṣasena) — Karṇa Parva, Adhyāya 62
परित्राह्ोनमभ्येत्य संशयं परमं गतम्
paritrāhoṇam abhyetya saṁśayaṁ paramaṁ gatam
Sañjaya said: Having approached the one in need of rescue, he was seized by the utmost doubt—caught between the urgent demand to protect and the perilous uncertainty of what must be done amid the chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how, in extreme situations like battle, even the impulse to protect can be accompanied by profound doubt; it foregrounds the ethical tension between immediate compassion/protection and uncertain consequences.
Sañjaya reports that someone approaches a person needing rescue or protection, but upon arriving is overwhelmed by intense uncertainty—suggesting a critical, peril-filled moment where the right course of action is unclear.