Shloka 13
धृतराष्ट्र–संजय संवादः: कर्ण–घटोत्कचयोर्निशायुद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Sañjaya Dialogue: Description of the Night Engagement of Karṇa and Ghaṭotkaca
त्वं तु प्राकृतविज्ञानस्तत् तद् वदसि सूतज
tvaṃ tu prākṛtavijñānas tat tad vadasi sūtaja
だが、おまえは凡庸な知にとどまり、あれこれと口にするばかりだ、御者の子よ。この言葉は戦の物語に潜む道徳的緊張を示す――不完全な知により判断が曇れば、言葉は衝動的で頼りなくなり、忠告は倫理の重みを失う。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions that speech without refined discernment (vijñāna) becomes scattered and inconsistent (“tat tat”), weakening ethical counsel. In the Mahābhārata’s moral universe, right speech depends on clear understanding and self-restraint, especially amid the pressures of war.
Sañjaya addresses “sūtaja” (Karṇa) with a rebuke, implying that Karṇa’s remarks arise from ordinary or limited understanding and therefore amount to saying ‘this and that.’ The line functions as a sharp critique of Karṇa’s judgment in the charged context of the Drona Parva’s battlefield deliberations.