Shloka 23

पाण्डोः तपः-प्रसङ्गः, ऋण-धर्मः, अपत्य-प्राप्ति-चिन्ता

Pāṇḍu’s Asceticism, the Doctrine of Debts, and Deliberations on Progeny

Devanagari script

तमुत्सृष्टं जले गर्भ राधाभर्ता महायशा: । पुत्रत्वे कल्पयामास सभार्य: सूतनन्दन:,जलमें छोड़े हुए उस नवजात शिशुको महायशस्वी सूतपुत्र अधिरथने, जिसकी पत्नीका नाम राधा था, ले लिया। उसने और उसकी पत्नीने उस बालकको अपना पुत्र बना लिया

Transliteration

tam utsṛṣṭaṃ jale garbhaṃ rādhābhartā mahāyaśāḥ | putratve kalpayāmāsa sabhāryaḥ sūtanandanaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Der ruhmreiche Adhiratha, aus dem Geschlecht der Wagenlenker und Gemahl Rādhas, nahm das Neugeborene auf, das ins Wasser geworfen worden war. Mit seiner Frau zusammen nahm er den Knaben als eigenen Sohn an.

Word by Word

तम्him/that (child)

उत्सृष्टम्abandoned/cast off

जलेin water

गर्भम्infant/child (newborn)

राधाभर्ताhusband of Rādhā

महायशाःgreatly renowned

पुत्रत्वेas (his) son / in the status of sonship

कल्पयामासmade/accepted (as), adopted

सभार्यःtogether with (his) wife

सूतनन्दनःson of a charioteer (i.e., Adhiratha)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Adhiratha

Rādhā

the abandoned newborn child (Karna)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights compassionate dharma: protecting an abandoned life and accepting parental duty by choice. It also suggests that social identity and belonging can be shaped by nurture and ethical action, not only by birth.

What is happening in the narrative?

An infant who has been set afloat/abandoned in water is found and taken in by Adhiratha, a charioteer’s son, along with his wife Rādhā. They adopt the child as their son (the child later known as Karṇa).