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 |
Kemudian, demi menyembunyikan perkara ini dari para sesepuh, aku tetap tinggal di dalam kediaman putri. Dan ketika seorang bayi lahir secara rahasia, aku menghanyutkannya ke air. Bayi itulah putraku, 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.