Shloka 98

Devanagari script

सूर्याच्च कुन्तिकन्याया जज्ञे कर्णो महाबल: । सहजं कवचं बिश्रत्‌ कुण्डलो द्योतितानन:,राजा कुन्तिभोजकी कन्या कुन्तीके गर्भसे सूर्यके अंशसे महाबली कर्णकी उत्पत्ति हुई। वह बालक जन्मके साथ ही कवचधारी था। उसका मुख शरीरके साथ ही उत्पन्न हुए कुण्डलकी प्रभासे प्रकाशित होता था

Transliteration

sūryācca kuntikanyāyā jajñe karṇo mahābalaḥ | sahajaṃ kavacaṃ bibhrat kuṇḍalo dyotitānanaḥ ||

Translation

Dāśa dit : Du Soleil et de Kuntī, la jeune fille, naquit Karṇa, homme d’une grande force. Il vint au monde portant une armure naturelle, et son visage brillait de l’éclat des boucles d’oreilles nées avec lui—marque d’une faveur divine dès la naissance.

Word by Word

सूर्यात्from the Sun

चand

कुन्ति-कन्यायाःof Kunti's daughter (i.e., of Kunti, the maiden)

जज्ञेwas born

कर्णःKarna

महाबलःvery strong, mighty

सहजम्innate, inborn

कवचम्armor

बिभ्रत्bearing, wearing

कुण्डलेearrings (pair)

द्योतित-आननःwhose face was shining/illuminated

Speaker

दाश उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sūrya

Kuntī (Kuntikanyā)

Karṇa

kavaca (natural armor)

kuṇḍala (earrings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how extraordinary endowments and social circumstances can diverge: Karṇa is divinely born and naturally protected, yet his later life will be shaped by secrecy, recognition, and ethical choices. It frames a recurring Mahābhārata concern—how destiny and personal conduct interact in forming dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Daśa narrates Karṇa’s origin: Kuntī, while still a maiden, bears a son through Sūrya. The child is born with innate armor and shining earrings, signaling his divine paternity and exceptional power.