Shloka 15
धृतराष्ट्रदर्शनाय पाण्डवानां प्रयाणम् | The Pāṇḍavas Prepare to Visit Dhṛtarāṣṭra
ततो5हमन्तर्भवने पितृर्वृत्तान्तरक्षिणी | गूढोत्पन्नं सुतं बाल॑ जले कर्णमवासृजम्
tato 'ham antarbhavane pitṝn vṛttāntarakṣiṇī | gūḍhotpannaṃ sutaṃ bālaṃ jale karṇam avāsṛjam |
Luego, para ocultar este asunto a mis mayores, permanecí en los aposentos interiores. Y cuando en secreto me nació un niño, lo eché a la deriva en el agua. Aquel niño era mi hijo Karṇa.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral conflict: preserving family honor and avoiding social condemnation leads to concealment, yet that concealment entails grave ethical cost—abandoning a newborn. It points to how fear and secrecy can set in motion long-term suffering and tragic outcomes.
The speaker recounts that the woman stayed in the inner quarters to hide the incident from her elders; when a child was born in secret, she released the infant into the water. The child is identified as Karṇa.