Shloka 15
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
उवाच मातरं वीरो नि:श्वसन्निव पन्नग: । तदनन्तर पुरुषसिंह वीर कुन्तीपुत्र युधिष्ठिर सर्पके समान लंबी साँस खींचते हुए अपनी मातासे बोले-- ।। य: शरोर्मिर्ध्वजावर्तो महाभुजमहाग्रह:
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
uvāca mātaraṃ vīro niḥśvasann iva pannagaḥ |
tad-anantaraṃ puruṣa-siṃhaḥ vīraḥ kuntī-putro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ sarpaka-samaṃ lambīṃ śvāsaṃ khīñcate hue apnī mātā se bole ||
yaḥ śaro 'rmir dhvaja-āvarto mahā-bhuja-mahā-grahaḥ
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Der Held redete zu seiner Mutter und atmete schwer wie eine Schlange. Dann wandte sich der Löwe unter den Menschen —der tapfere Yudhiṣṭhira, Kuntīs Sohn—, lange, schlangenartige Atemzüge ziehend, an seine Mutter. (Er begann zu schildern:) „Jener Pfeil —sein Ansturm wie eine Woge, sein Wirbel wie die Spirale eines Banners, ergriffen von einer gewaltigen, furchtbaren Kraft mächtiger Arme…“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Yudhiṣṭhira’s moral and emotional crisis after the war: even a righteous victor can be shaken by the violence that produced victory. The heavy, serpent-like breathing signals inner turmoil, preparing for a dharmic reflection in which duty, consequence, and remorse collide.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Yudhiṣṭhira, overwhelmed, turns to his mother Kuntī and begins speaking while breathing deeply in distress. He starts describing a terrifying arrow/force (imagery of waves and whirlpools), setting up a lament or account of the destructive events and their impact.