Shloka 20
कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
अनिन्चयज्ञो हि नर: कार्याकार्यविनिश्चये । अवशो मुहाते पार्थ यथा त्वं मूढ एव तु,पार्थ! उस निर्णयको न जाननेवाला मनुष्य कर्तव्य और अकर्तव्यके निश्चयमें तुम्हारे ही समान असमर्थ, विवेकशून्य एवं मोहित हो जाता है
aniniścayajño hi naraḥ kāryākāryaviniścaye | avaśo muhyate pārtha yathā tvaṃ mūḍha eva tu ||
O homem que carece da capacidade de entendimento decisivo torna-se impotente e iludido ao determinar o que deve ser feito e o que não deve ser feito. Ó Pārtha, ele cai na confusão — assim como tu também agora estás desnorteado.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Without firm discernment, a person cannot reliably distinguish duty (kārya) from what is improper (akārya); such indecision makes one helpless before delusion. Kṛṣṇa points to clarity of judgment as essential for dharmic action.
In the Karṇa Parva battle setting, Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna (Pārtha), diagnosing his confusion: when one cannot decide what should or should not be done, one becomes mentally overpowered and deluded—mirroring Arjuna’s present state.