उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय १४० (कृष्णेन कर्णं प्रति पाण्डवबल-वैशिष्ट्यप्रदर्शनम्) / Udyoga Parva, Chapter 140
Krishna’s appraisal of Pandava advantage and war portents
तथा मामभिजानाति सूतश्चाधिरथ: सुतम् । पितरं चाभिजानामि तमहं सौहृदात् सदा,अधिरथ सूत भी मुझे अपना पुत्र ही समझते हैं और मैं भी सौहार्दवश उन्हें सदासे अपना पिता ही मानता आया हूँ
tathā mām abhijānāti sūtaś cādhirathaḥ sutam | pitaraṃ cābhijānāmi tam ahaṃ sauhṛdāt sadā ||
De même, le cocher Adhiratha me reconnaît pour son fils ; et moi aussi, par une affection fidèle et durable, je l’ai toujours reconnu pour mon père.
कर्ण उवाच
Karna asserts that true parenthood can be grounded in nurture and steadfast affection: the one who raises and accepts you is worthy of being honored as father, and gratitude becomes a form of dharma.
In Udyoga Parva, as alliances and moral claims are being argued before the great war, Karna speaks about his relationship with Adhiratha, emphasizing that Adhiratha has always regarded him as a son and that Karna, in return, has always regarded Adhiratha as his father out of heartfelt loyalty.