Shloka 18
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
अकार्याणां क्रियाणां च संयोगं य: करोति वै । कार्याणामक्रियाणां च स पार्थ पुरुषाधम:
akāryāṇāṁ kriyāṇāṁ ca saṁyogaṁ yaḥ karoti vai | kāryāṇām akriyāṇāṁ ca sa pārtha puruṣādhamaḥ ||
Śrī Kṛṣṇa bersabda: “Wahai Pārtha, yang paling hina di antara manusia ialah dia yang bersekutu dengan apa yang tidak patut dilakukan dan dengan perbuatan yang tak seharusnya ditempuh; dan yang berpaling dari kewajiban, tidak bertindak ketika dharma memanggil.”
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
One must discriminate between what is forbidden (akārya) and what is duty (kārya). Joining oneself to improper actions and neglecting rightful duties is portrayed as moral degradation—an inversion of dharma through wrong choices and culpable omission.
In the Karṇa Parva war setting, Śrī Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna (Pārtha) with ethical counsel, warning against confused judgment: aligning with prohibited courses of action while failing to do what duty requires.