Shloka 2
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १४० (कृष्णेन कर्णं प्रति पाण्डवबल-वैशिष्ट्यप्रदर्शनम्) / Udyoga Parva, Chapter 140
Krishna’s appraisal of Pandava advantage and war portents
सर्व चैवाभिजानामि पाण्डो: पुत्रोडस्मि धर्मत: । निश्चयाद् धर्मशास्त्राणां यथा त्वं कृष्ण मन्यसे,श्रीकृष्ण! जैसा कि आप मानते हैं, धर्मशास्त्रोंके निर्णयके अनुसार मैं धर्मतः पाण्डुका ही पुत्र हूँ। इन सब बातोंको मैं अच्छी तरह जानता और समझता हूँ
sarvaṃ caivābhijānāmi pāṇḍoḥ putro 'smi dharmataḥ | niścayād dharmaśāstrāṇāṃ yathā tvaṃ kṛṣṇa manyase ||
Karna said: “I understand all of this clearly: by the rule of dharma I am indeed Pandu’s son. According to the settled determinations of the dharma-texts—just as you, O Krishna, hold—I accept that this is the rightful conclusion.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Ethical legitimacy (dharma) can define identity and duty beyond mere social appearance: Karna concedes that, by dharmaśāstra reasoning and Krishna’s counsel, he is to be regarded as Pandu’s son, acknowledging a normative (law-and-duty) basis for kinship.
In Udyoga Parva, during Krishna’s diplomatic and moral persuasion before the war, Karna responds by admitting he already knows the truth about his connection to the Pandavas and accepts the dharma-based conclusion that he is Pandu’s son—yet this acknowledgment stands in tension with his existing loyalties and choices.