Shloka 4
अर्जुन-कर्ण-सङ्ग्रामः
Arjuna–Karna Engagement in the Cattle-Raid Aftermath
आनुकूल्येन कार्याणामन्तरं संविधीयते । भारं हि रथकारस्य न व्यवस्यन्ति पण्डिता:
ānukūlyena kāryāṇām antaraṃ saṃvidhīyate | bhāraṃ hi rathakārasya na vyavasyanti paṇḍitāḥ |
Kṛpa said: “It is only when circumstances are favorable—when place and time are rightly aligned—that the true outcome of undertakings is secured. The wise do not decide on matters like war by shifting the whole burden onto the charioteer’s counsel; they themselves weigh the conditions of time and terrain before coming to a resolve.”
कृप उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sound action depends on suitability of circumstances (especially place and time). Wise leaders do not outsource responsibility to a subordinate’s opinion; they personally assess conditions before deciding, particularly in grave matters like war.
Kṛpa is offering counsel, stressing strategic and ethical prudence: decisions—implicitly about conflict—must be grounded in a careful evaluation of context rather than made rashly or by placing full responsibility on a chariot-expert’s advice.