Shloka 12

Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity

Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27

Devanagari script

कुरुध्वमुदकं तस्य भ्रातुरक्लिष्टकर्मण: । स हि व: पूर्वजो भ्राता भास्करान्मय्यजायत

Transliteration

kurudhvam udakaṁ tasya bhrātur akliṣṭa-karmaṇaḥ | sa hi vaḥ pūrvajo bhrātā bhāskarān mayy ajāyata ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Bringt für jenen Bruder von euch die Wasseropfer dar, dessen Taten ungetrübt und untadelig waren. Denn er war euer älterer Bruder — aus meinem Schoß von Bhāskara (der Sonne) geboren.“

Word by Word

कुरुध्वम्do (you all), perform

उदकम्water (libation)

तस्यfor him / of him

भ्रातुःof (your) brother

अक्लिष्टकर्मणःof the unwearied-in-deeds (one)

सःhe

हिindeed / for

वःof you (all) / your

पूर्वजःelder-born, elder

भ्राताbrother

भास्करात्from Bhāskara (the Sun)

मयिin me

अजायतwas born

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bhāskara (Sūrya, the Sun)

the elder brother (Karna implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid grief and conflict, dharma requires honoring familial bonds and performing proper rites for the departed; ethical conduct includes acknowledging true kinship and offering due respect through ritual obligations.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker urges the listeners to perform the customary water-offering for a deceased brother described as blameless, identifying him as their elder brother and stating that he was born to the mother through Bhāskara (the Sun), pointing to the revelation of his solar lineage.