Shloka 89
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
वासुदेवस्तु राधेयमाहवेडभिजगाम वै | तत एनमुवाचेदं पाण्डवार्थ गदाग्रज:,इसी समय भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण उस युद्धमें राधानन्दन कर्णके पास गये। वहाँ जाकर उन गदाग्रजने पाण्डवोंके हितके लिये उससे इस प्रकार कहा--
Vāsudevas tu Rādheyam āhave ’bhijagāma vai | tata enam uvācedaṃ Pāṇḍavārtha-gadāgrajaḥ ||
Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) indeed approached Rādheya (Karna) on the battlefield. Having come to him there, the elder brother of the wielder of the mace (Balarāma’s younger brother, Kṛṣṇa), intent on the welfare of the Pāṇḍavas, addressed him in these words.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, Kṛṣṇa acts with deliberate ethical purpose: he engages opponents through counsel and strategy aimed at restoring dharma and protecting rightful order, showing that speech and discernment remain instruments of righteousness alongside force.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛṣṇa goes directly to Karṇa on the battlefield and begins a speech intended for the Pāṇḍavas’ welfare—setting up a significant counsel/appeal to Karṇa before the ensuing events.