Shloka 29
Kuntī–Karṇa Saṃvāda: Lineage Disclosure and Appeal to Fraternal Dharma
अतिष्ठत् सूर्यतापार्ता कर्णस्योत्तरवाससि । कौरव्यपत्नी वार्ष्णेयी पद्ममालेव शुष्यती
atiṣṭhat sūryatāpārtā karṇasyottaravāsasi | kauravyapatnī vārṣṇeyī padmamālevā śuṣyatī ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Von der Sonnenhitze gequält, stellte sich Kuntī —Pāṇḍus Gemahlin, aus der Linie der Vṛṣṇi und zugleich durch Heirat mit dem Haus der Kaurava verbunden— in den Schatten von Karṇas Obergewand, welk wie eine Girlande aus Lotosblüten. Die Szene betont die Schwere des Augenblicks: Eine Mutter, körperlich und innerlich erschöpft, sucht kurzen Schutz selbst bei dem, dessen Schicksal an den kommenden Krieg geknüpft ist.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human vulnerability beneath heroic destinies: even amid political and moral crisis, compassion and kinship persist. It subtly frames the ethical tension of dharma—how family bonds and personal duty strain under the approach of war.
Kuntī, distressed by the sun’s heat, stands in the shade cast by Karṇa’s upper garment, described as withering like a lotus garland. The imagery emphasizes her physical exhaustion and emotional burden in her encounter with Karṇa during the pre-war negotiations.