Shloka 24
Nara-Nārāyaṇa Precedent and Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna; Karṇa’s Reply
सनातनौ महात्मानौ कृष्णावेकरथे स्थितौ । दुर्योधन तदा तात स्मर्तासि वचनं मम,वत्स दुर्योधन! जब तुम देखोगे कि दोनों सनातन महात्मा श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन एक ही रथपर बैठे हैं, श्रीकृष्णके हाथमें शंख, चक्र और गदा है और भयंकर धनुष धारण करनेवाले अर्जुन निरन्तर नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र लेते और छोड़ते जा रहे हैं, तब तुम्हें मेरी बातें याद आयेंगी
sanātanau mahātmānau kṛṣṇāv ekarathe sthitau | duryodhana tadā tāta smartāsi vacanaṃ mama ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Quando contemplares os dois Kṛṣṇas eternos, de grande alma—Kṛṣṇa e Arjuna—sentados juntos num único carro, então, ó Duryodhana, filho querido, lembrar-te-ás das minhas palavras.” A afirmação ressalta a inevitabilidade moral das consequências: quando a orientação divina e o poder justo se unem, a arrogância e a injustiça são forçadas a encarar a verdade.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys moral inevitability: when righteousness (Arjuna’s disciplined valor) is united with divine wisdom and protection (Kṛṣṇa), unjust ambition and pride (Duryodhana’s stance) will be compelled to recognize the truth—often too late. It functions as a warning against adharma and overconfidence.
Vaiśampāyana reports a pointed address to Duryodhana: he will remember this warning when he later sees Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna together on a single chariot. The image anticipates the battlefield reality where their alliance becomes decisive.