Shloka 6
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १४१: कर्ण–कृष्णसंवादः, उत्पात-स्वप्न-लक्षणानि
Karna–Krishna Dialogue: Omens and Dream-Signs
यदा द्रक्ष्यसि संग्रामे श्वेताश्व॑ं कृष्णसारथिम् | ऐन्द्रमस्त्रं विकुर्वाणमुभे चाप्यग्निमारुते,कर्ण! जब युद्धमें मुझ श्रीकृष्णको सारथि बनाकर आये हुए श्वेतवाहन अर्जुनको तुम ऐन्द्र, आग्नेय तथा वायव्य अस्त्र प्रकट करते देखोगे और जब गाण्डीवकी वज्र-गर्जनाके समान भयंकर टंकार तुम्हारे कानोंमें पड़ेगी, उस समय तुम्हें सत्ययुग, त्रेता और द्वापरकी प्रतीति नहीं होगी (केवल कलहस्वरूप भयंकर कलि ही दृष्टिगोचर होगा)
sañjaya uvāca | yadā drakṣyasi saṅgrāme śvetāśvaṃ kṛṣṇa-sārathim | aindram astraṃ vikurvāṇam ubhe cāpy agni-mārute, karṇa |
O Karṇa, when in battle you behold Arjuna—drawn by white horses and driven by Śrī Kṛṣṇa as charioteer—unleashing the Indra-weapon, and also the fiery and wind-born missiles; and when the thunder-like roar of the Gāṇḍīva strikes your ears, the very order of the ages will seem to collapse before you. You will no longer feel the presence of Satya, Tretā, or Dvāpara; only the dreadful spirit of Kali—sheer strife—will appear to rule your sight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as a moral and cosmic crisis: when divine power is unleashed without restraint, the stability associated with righteous ages (Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara) seems to vanish, and the chaos of Kali—conflict and degeneration—appears to prevail. It warns that adharma-driven confrontation invites a perception (and experience) of moral collapse.
Sañjaya addresses Karṇa with a prophetic warning: in the coming battle, Karṇa will witness Arjuna on his white-horsed chariot with Kṛṣṇa as charioteer, deploying powerful divine missiles (Aindra, Āgneya, and Vāyavya). The terrifying sound and force of Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva will overwhelm Karṇa, making the battlefield feel like the onset of Kali’s dreadful disorder.