Shloka 23
कर्ण उवाच जानाम्येव महाबाहो सर्वमेतन्न संशय: । यथा वदसि मे भीष्म कौन्तेयो5हं न सूतज:,कर्णने कहा--महाबाहो! भीष्म! आप जो कुछ कह रहे हैं, उसे मैं भी जानता हूँ। यह सब ठीक है, इसमें संशय नहीं है। वास्तवमें मैं कुन्तीका ही पुत्र हूँ, सूतपुत्र नहीं हूँ
karṇa uvāca: jānāmyeva mahābāho sarvam etan na saṁśayaḥ | yathā vadasi me bhīṣma kaunteyo ’haṁ na sūtajaḥ ||
Karna said: “O mighty-armed one, I indeed know all this—there is no doubt about it. O Bhishma, it is exactly as you say: I am Kunti’s son, not a charioteer’s son.”
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.