Shloka 16
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच इदानीं पार्थ जानामि न वृद्धा: सेवितास्त्वया । काले न पुरुषव्याप्र संरम्भं॑ यद् भवानगात्
śrīkṛṣṇa uvāca | idānīṁ pārtha jānāmi na vṛddhāḥ sevitās tvayā | kāle na puruṣavyāpra saṁrambhaṁ yad bhavān agāt ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “Now, O Pārtha, I understand that you have not served (or heeded) the elders. For at the proper time, O man of action, you did not rise with the necessary resolve.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Kṛṣṇa stresses the ethical importance of heeding experienced elders and acting with timely resolve. Neglecting wise counsel and failing to take decisive initiative at the right moment leads to avoidable difficulty and moral-political loss.
In the midst of the Karṇa Parva battle context, Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna (Pārtha) critically, implying that Arjuna’s earlier conduct showed insufficient reliance on elder guidance and a lack of forceful determination when the situation demanded prompt action.