Shloka 20
Kuntī–Karṇa Saṃvāda: Lineage Disclosure and Appeal to Fraternal Dharma
आद्ानं मन्त्रसंयुक्त वसन्त्या: पितृवेश्मनि । साहमन्त:पुरे राज्ञ: कुन्तिभोजपुरस्कृता
ādānaṃ mantrasaṃyuktaṃ vasantyāḥ pitṛveśmani | sāham antaḥpure rājñaḥ kuntibhojapuraskṛtā ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: While I lived in my father’s house, I obtained a boon bound to a mantra. In those days, by my devoted service I pleased the revered sage Durvāsā, and he granted me this favor: if I invoked with the mantra, I could summon any deity to my presence. My father Kuntibhoja held me in great honor. Yet, dwelling within the king’s inner apartments, my heart grew troubled as I reflected in many ways on the power and peril of mantras and on the formidable efficacy of a brāhmaṇa’s spoken word—how a gift meant for good can also become a source of anxiety when its consequences are not fully known.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary powers gained through tapas, mantra, or boons demand discernment and restraint. The verse highlights ethical responsibility: even a legitimate gift can become dangerous if used without understanding its consequences, and it underscores the feared potency of a brāhmaṇa’s word.
Kuntī recounts that while living in her father’s house she served the sage Durvāsā and received a mantra-boon enabling her to summon any deity. Though honored in Kuntibhoja’s household and living in the royal inner palace, she becomes inwardly uneasy, contemplating the strength and risks of mantra-power and the efficacy of a brāhmaṇa’s speech.