Shloka 20

कर्णनिधनवृत्तान्तनिवेदनम् | Reporting Karṇa’s Fall to Yudhiṣṭhira

Devanagari script

अनिन्चयज्ञो हि नर: कार्याकार्यविनिश्चये । अवशो मुहाते पार्थ यथा त्वं मूढ एव तु

Transliteration

aniniścayajño hi naraḥ kāryākāryaviniścaye | avaśo muhyate pārtha yathā tvaṃ mūḍha eva tu ||

Translation

凡缺乏决断之智者，在裁定何者当为、何者不当为之时，便会无力自持而陷于迷妄。噢，帕尔塔啊，他坠入混乱——正如你此刻亦在迷惘一般。

Word by Word

• अनिश्चयज्ञः: one who does not know the decision; indecisive/undiscerning
• अनिश्चयज्ञः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनिश्चयज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• नरः: man/person
• नरः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• कार्याकार्यविनिश्चये: in the determination of what should and should not be done
• कार्याकार्यविनिश्चये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कार्याकार्यविनिश्चय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अवशः: helpless; not in control
• अवशः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवश
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मुह्यते: becomes deluded; is confused
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुह्
• Form: Present, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• पार्थ: O Partha (Arjuna)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्थ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• यथा: just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: Nominative, Singular

• मूढः: bewildered; foolish
• मूढः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूढ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• एव: indeed; just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• तु: but/indeed (emphatic)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

Speaker

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Kṛṣṇa
• Pārtha (Arjuna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.