Mahabharata — Virata Parva, 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 |
Dijo Kripa: «Sólo cuando las circunstancias son favorables—cuando lugar y tiempo se alinean debidamente—se asegura el verdadero fruto de las empresas. Los sabios no deciden asuntos como la guerra descargando todo el peso en el consejo del auriga; ellos mismos sopesan las condiciones del tiempo y del terreno antes de resolver».
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.