Shloka 7
Chapter 61: Karṇa’s martial assurances and Bhīṣma’s strategic rebuttal in the Kuru assembly
एवं ब्रुवन्तं तमुवाच भीष्म: कि कत्थसे कालपरीतबुद्धे न कर्ण जानासि यथा प्रधाने हते हताः स्युर्धुतराष्ट्रपुत्रा:
evaṁ bruvantaṁ tam uvāca bhīṣmaḥ | kiṁ katthase kālaparītabuddhe | na karṇa jānāsi yathā pradhāne hate hatāḥ syur dhṛtarāṣṭraputrāḥ ||
As Karṇa spoke in this manner, Bhīṣma addressed him: “Why do you boast so, O Karṇa, whose mind seems seized by Time? Do you not understand that if the foremost warrior is slain, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra will be as good as dead?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma warns against boastful pride and shortsighted bravado in matters of war. Ethical leadership requires recognizing interdependence: the fall of a key protector can doom the entire side, so speech and strategy must be grounded in responsibility rather than ego.
Karṇa has been speaking assertively, and Bhīṣma responds sharply. He calls Karṇa’s boasting a sign that ‘Time’ has clouded his judgment and reminds him that if the principal champion is killed, the Kauravas (Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons) will effectively be destroyed.