कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira
त्वया चैवं व्रतं पार्थ बालेनेव कृत॑ पुरा । तस्मादधर्मसंयुक्त मौख्यात् कर्म व्यवस्यसि,पार्थ! तुमने नासमझ बालकके समान पहले कोई प्रतिज्ञा कर ली थी, इसीलिये तुम मूर्खतावश अधर्मयुक्त कार्य करनेको तैयार हो गये हो
tvayā caivaṁ vrataṁ pārtha bālenaiva kṛtaṁ purā | tasmād adharmasaṁyuktaṁ maukhyāt karma vyavasyasi ||
«О Партха, некогда ты дал такой обет, как даёт его ребёнок, не умеющий рассуждать. Потому по глупости ты теперь решился на деяние, сопряжённое с адхармой.»
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Kṛṣṇa warns that a rashly made vow—formed without mature discernment—can push one toward adharma. Ethical action requires reconsidering impulsive resolves in the light of dharma rather than clinging to them out of pride or confusion.
In the Karṇa Parva context, Kṛṣṇa addresses Arjuna (Pārtha), criticizing an earlier, childlike pledge and pointing out that Arjuna’s present determination is being driven by folly toward an unrighteous course. The verse functions as corrective counsel meant to realign Arjuna’s intent with dharma amid the pressures of war.