Shloka 11
Kṛṣṇasya Karṇam Prati Sāntvavacana
Kṛṣṇa’s Conciliatory Address to Karṇa
अस्ति मे बलमित्येव सहसा त्वं तितीर्षसि । सग्राहनक्रमकरं गज्रावेगमिवोष्णगे
asti me balam ity eva sahasā tvaṁ titīrṣasi | sa-grāha-nakra-makaraṁ gaṅgā-vegam ivōṣṇage ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Hanya kerana menyangka, ‘aku punya kekuatan,’ engkau dengan gopoh mahu menyeberang. Itu seperti orang bodoh pada musim hujan cuba berenang menentasi arus deras Sungai Gaṅgā—penuh buaya, gharial dan makara—dengan hanya dua lengannya. Demikian juga, bersandar semata-mata pada daya sendiri, engkau mahu melangkaui bala tentera Pāṇḍava dengan tergesa-gesa.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma warns against overconfidence and impulsive action: mere belief in one’s strength is not enough when facing overwhelming danger. Ethical leadership requires sober assessment, restraint, and respect for realities rather than pride-driven haste.
In Udyoga Parva’s pre-war counsel, Bhīṣma addresses a warrior’s rash intention to break through the Pāṇḍava forces. He illustrates the folly with a vivid simile: trying to swim the monsoon-swollen Gaṅgā filled with deadly aquatic beasts—an act likely to end in ruin.