Shloka 22
ऋषिसमागमः — युधिष्ठिरस्य शोकवर्णनम्
Sage Assembly and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Articulation of Grief
तोयकर्मणि तं कुन्ती कथयामास सूर्यजम् । पुत्र सर्वगुणोपेतमवरकीर्ण जले पुरा
toyakarmaṇi taṃ kuntī kathayāmāsa sūryajam | putraṃ sarvaguṇopetam avakīrṇaṃ jale purā ||
While speaking of the rite involving water (the offering of water to the departed), Kuntī revealed to him the secret about the son born of the Sun: “Karna is my own child, endowed with every virtue—whom, long ago, I set adrift upon the waters.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity of concealed truth and the far-reaching consequences of actions taken under fear or social pressure. It also situates confession within a ritual context, suggesting that moments of grief and dharmic duty can compel honesty and ethical reckoning.
During a water-offering rite connected with the dead, Kuntī tells Yudhiṣṭhira that Karna—born from the Sun-god—was actually her own virtuous son, whom she had earlier abandoned by setting him afloat in water.