Shloka 15
Adhyāya 64 — Omens, Conch Signals, and Arjuna’s Assault on the Elephant Division
नैवं पूर्वे जनाश्नक्रुर्न करिष्यन्ति चापरे
naivaṁ pūrve janāḥ śakruḥ na kariṣyanti cāpare
ナーラダは言った。「昔の人々はかかる業を成し遂げたことはなく、後の世の人々もまた成し遂げることはないであろう。」
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a certain wartime action as so extreme that it lies outside the moral imagination of both past and future generations. It functions as an ethical verdict: even in conflict, some deeds are seen as uniquely blameworthy or unprecedented, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s concern with limits of conduct (dharma) under pressure.
Nārada, speaking as an authoritative sage, comments on an event being recounted and characterizes it as unparalleled—something earlier people did not manage (or did not do) and later people will not do. The line heightens the gravity of the episode and signals that the narrative is entering a moment of exceptional moral and historical significance.