Shloka 21
ऋषिसमागमः — युधिष्ठिरस्य शोकवर्णनम्
Sage Assembly and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Articulation of Grief
शीघ्रास्त्रश्चित्रयोधी च कृती चाद्भुतविक्रम: । गूढोत्पन्न: सुत: कुन्त्या भ्रातास्माकमसौ किल
śīghrāstraś citrayodhī ca kṛtī cādbhuta-vikramaḥ | gūḍhotpannaḥ sutaḥ kuntyā bhrātāsmākam asau kila ||
Yudhiṣṭhira sprach: „Er war schnell im Gebrauch der Waffen, kundig im Kampf mit vielfältigen und wunderbaren Taktiken, und vollendet—von erstaunlicher Tapferkeit. Heimlich geboren als Sohn Kuntīs, war er wahrlich unser älterer Bruder; so haben wir es vernommen.“
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of hidden identity and kinship: recognizing Karṇa’s concealed birth reframes hostility as a family tragedy, pressing the listener toward compassion, responsibility, and sober reflection on dharma after war.
In Śānti Parva’s opening context of post-war grief and moral inquiry, Yudhiṣṭhira recalls what he has heard about Karṇa—his exceptional martial qualities and, crucially, that he was secretly born to Kuntī and thus the Pāṇḍavas’ elder brother.