Shloka 2
भीष्मस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति कुलहितोपदेशः | Bhīṣma’s Counsel to Duryodhana on Dynastic Welfare
सत्यमाह पृथा वाक््यं कर्ण मातृवच: कुरु । श्रेयस्ते स्यान्नरव्याप्र सर्वमाचरतस्तथा
satyam āha pṛthā vākyaṃ karṇa mātṛvacaḥ kuru | śreyas te syān naravyāghra sarvam ācaratas tathā ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Pṛthā (Kuntī) speaks the truth, O Karṇa. Follow your mother’s word. O tiger among men, if you act in full accordance with it, it will lead to your welfare.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Truthful counsel and filial responsibility are presented as sources of śreyas (welfare): Karṇa is urged to honor his mother’s truthful instruction and to act fully in accordance with it for his highest good.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war setting, Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates that Kuntī’s words to Karṇa are true and exhorts Karṇa to obey his mother’s command, implying a pivotal moral choice amid impending conflict.