Shloka 23
कर्ण उवाच जानाम्येव महाबाहो सर्वमेतन्न संशय: । यथा वदसि मे भीष्म कौन्तेयो5हं न सूतज:
karṇa uvāca: jānāmyeva mahābāho sarvam etan na saṁśayaḥ | yathā vadasi me bhīṣma kaunteyo ’haṁ na sūtajaḥ ||
Karna dit : «Ô toi aux bras puissants, je sais en vérité tout cela—sans le moindre doute. Ô Bhishma, c’est exactement comme tu le dis : je suis le fils de Kuntî, non celui d’un cocher.»
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) and the moral weight of acknowledging one’s real identity, even when social labels (like ‘sūta-putra’) have shaped one’s public life and honor.
In the Bhishma Parva context, Bhishma addresses Karna about his true birth. Karna responds that he already knows the truth without doubt: he is Kunti’s son (thus of royal lineage), not the son of a sūta.