Shloka 216
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
निधनेन हि कर्णस्य पीडितास्तु सबान्धवा: । “अहो! आपने इस गूढ़ रहस्यको छिपाकर हमलोगोंको मार डाला। कर्णकी मृत्युसे भाइयोंसहित हमें बड़ी पीड़ा हो रही है
nidhānena hi karṇasya pīḍitāstu sabāndhavāḥ | “aho! āpane isa gūḍha rahasyako chipākara hamalogoṃko mār ḍālā | karṇakī mṛtyuse bhāiyoṃsahita hameṃ baṛī pīṛā ho rahī hai”
Vaiśampāyana said: Stricken with anguish at Karṇa’s death, they—together with their kinsmen—lamented: “Alas! By concealing this profound secret, you have brought about our destruction. Karṇa’s death has caused us intense suffering, along with our brothers.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of concealed truth: withholding a crucial secret can intensify harm and later grief, turning loss into moral accusation and deepening collective suffering.
After Karṇa’s death, the mourners—along with their relatives—are overwhelmed by pain and cry out that a hidden, profound secret was kept from them, and that this concealment has effectively led to their ruin and unbearable sorrow.