Shloka 38
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply
दृष्टवा विराटनगरे भ्रातरं निहतं प्रियम् । धनंजयेन विक्रम्प किमनेन तदा कृतम्,“जब विराटनगरमें अर्जुनने अपना पराक्रम दिखाते हुए इसके सामने ही इसके प्यारे भाईको मार डाला था, तब इसने सब कुछ अपनी आँखोंसे देखकर भी अर्जुनका क्या बिगाड़ लिया?
dṛṣṭvā virāṭanagare bhrātaraṃ nihataṃ priyam | dhanaṃjayena vikrāntaṃ kim anena tadā kṛtam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “When, in the city of Virāṭa, he saw his beloved brother slain right before him by Dhanaṃjaya displaying his prowess, what could this man do to Arjuna then? What harm did he manage to inflict, even after witnessing it all with his own eyes?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the disparity between anger or grievance and actual capability: even after witnessing a grievous loss, a person may be unable to retaliate against a truly superior warrior. It implicitly highlights the ethical and strategic reality that power and competence shape outcomes in conflict, not merely emotion.
Vaiśaṃpāyana recalls an earlier incident in Virāṭa’s city where Arjuna (Dhanaṃjaya) killed someone’s beloved brother in full view while demonstrating his valor. The speaker uses this memory to argue that the person in question was powerless to harm Arjuna then, implying continued inability now.