Shloka 203
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
असूत त॑ भवत्यग्रे कथमद्भुतविक्रमम् । “वे समस्त शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ कर्ण क्या सचमुच हमारे बड़े भाई थे? आपने पहले उन अद्भुत पराक्रमी वीरको कैसे उत्पन्न किया था?
asūta taṁ bhavaty agre katham adbhuta-vikramam | ve samasta-śastra-dhāriṇīṁ śreṣṭhaḥ karṇaḥ kiṁ sacamucya asmākaṁ baḍe bhrātā āsīt? āpne pūrvaṁ tān adbhuta-parākramī vīrako kathaṁ utpanna kiyā thā?
Vaiśampāyana said: "How did you, in earlier times, give birth to that man of wondrous prowess? Was Karṇa—foremost among all who bear weapons—truly our elder brother? Tell us: how did you first bring forth that hero of extraordinary valor?"
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of hidden lineage: when kinship is concealed, it can intensify conflict and later grief. It points to dharma’s demand for truthfulness and responsible disclosure, especially when identity affects social duty, inheritance, and the moral evaluation of war.
In the aftermath of the war (Strī Parva’s lamentation context), a question is raised about Karṇa’s true relationship to the Pandavas—whether he was their elder brother—and the speaker asks how that extraordinarily powerful warrior was first born. The inquiry sets up a recounting of Karṇa’s birth and the circumstances that led to his identity being unknown to his brothers.