Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अनिन्चयज्ञो हि नर: कार्याकार्यविनिश्चये । अवशो मुहाते पार्थ यथा त्वं मूढ एव तु,पार्थ! उस निर्णयको न जाननेवाला मनुष्य कर्तव्य और अकर्तव्यके निश्चयमें तुम्हारे ही समान असमर्थ, विवेकशून्य एवं मोहित हो जाता है

Transliteration

aniniścayajño hi naraḥ kāryākāryaviniścaye | avaśo muhyate pārtha yathā tvaṃ mūḍha eva tu ||

Translation

A man who lacks the capacity for decisive understanding becomes helplessly deluded when it comes to determining what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. O Partha, he falls into confusion—just as you, too, are now bewildered.

Word by Word

अनिश्चयज्ञःone who does not know the decision; indecisive/undiscerning

हिindeed/for

नरःman/person

कार्याकार्यविनिश्चयेin the determination of what should and should not be done

अवशःhelpless; not in control

मुह्यतेbecomes deluded; is confused

पार्थO Partha (Arjuna)

यथाjust as

त्वम्you

मूढःbewildered; foolish

एवindeed; just

तुbut/indeed (emphatic)

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Pārtha (Arjuna)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Without firm discernment, a person cannot reliably distinguish duty (kārya) from what is improper (akārya); such indecision makes one helpless before delusion. Kṛṣṇa points to clarity of judgment as essential for dharmic action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Karṇa Parva battle setting, Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna (Pārtha), diagnosing his confusion: when one cannot decide what should or should not be done, one becomes mentally overpowered and deluded—mirroring Arjuna’s present state.