Shloka 7
Kṛpa’s Archery Display; Śikhaṇḍin Checked; Suketu Slain; Dhṛṣṭadyumna–Kṛtavarmā Clash (कृपशौर्य–पार्षतहार्दिक्ययुद्धम्)
कार्याकार्य न जानीषे कालपक्वो<5स्यसंशयम् | बह्नबद्धमकर्णीयं को हि ब्रूयाज्जिजीविषु:
kāryākāryaṁ na jānīṣe kālapakvo ’sy asaṁśayam | bahnibaddham akarṇīyaṁ ko hi brūyāj jijīviṣuḥ ||
Engkau langsung tidak mengetahui apa yang patut dilakukan dan apa yang tidak patut. Tanpa ragu, Kala (Waktu) telah mematangkanmu untuk maut—seperti buah yang ranum menanti gugur. Jika tidak, lelaki manakah yang masih ingin hidup akan mengucapkan begitu banyak kata yang keras, tidak layak didengar, dan sia-sia?
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Right judgment (knowing kārya vs. akārya) and disciplined speech are ethical necessities; reckless, abusive, or senseless talk is portrayed as self-destructive and contrary to the instinct for self-preservation.
In the Karṇa Parva war setting, Śalya delivers a sharp reprimand to his interlocutor, accusing him of lacking discernment and implying that his reckless words show he is already “ripened by Time,” i.e., destined to fall in death.