Shloka 32
जतुगृहदाहः — The Burning of the Lac House and the Pāṇḍavas’ Concealed Escape
त्वमप्येवं महाबाहो मातरं पितरं कुलम् । कथयस्व नरेन्द्राणां येषां त्वं कुलभूषणम्,“कर्ण! ये कुन्तीदेवीके सबसे छोटे पुत्र पाण्डु-नन्दन अर्जुन कुरुवंशके रत्न हैं, जो तुम्हारे साथ इन्द्र-युद्ध करेंगे। महाबाहो! इसी प्रकार तुम भी अपने माता-पिता तथा कुलका परिचय दो और उन नरेशके नाम बताओ, जिनका वंश तुमसे विभूषित हुआ है
tvam apy evaṁ mahābāho mātaraṁ pitaraṁ kulam | kathayasva narendrāṇāṁ yeṣāṁ tvaṁ kulabhūṣaṇam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “You too, mighty-armed one, should likewise declare your mother, your father, and your lineage. Tell us also the names of those kings whose royal houses are adorned by you.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the cultural-ethical importance of declaring one’s parentage and lineage in a royal/warrior context, where identity, legitimacy, and honor are tied to one’s kula and to the dynasties one is said to ennoble.
In the course of introducing and assessing the principal warriors, the speaker prompts the addressed hero to state his mother, father, and lineage, and to name the royal houses that claim distinction through him—setting up a formal disclosure of identity and status.