Shloka 66
Gaṅgā-tīra Udaka-kriyā and Kuntī’s Disclosure of Karṇa’s Maternity
Strī-parva, Adhyāya 27
रुदती मन्दया वाचा पुत्रान् वचनमत्रवीत् । महाराज! तदनन्तर कुन्तीदेवी सहसा शोकसे कातर हो रोती हुई मन्द वाणीमें अपने पुत्रोंसे बोलीं--
rudatī mandayā vācā putrān vacanam atravīt | mahārāja! tad-anantaraṁ kuntīdevī sahasā śoka-se kātarā ho rotī huī manda vāṇī meṁ apne putroṁ se bolīṁ—
Vaiśampāyana said: Weeping and speaking in a faint, subdued voice, she addressed her sons. “O great king! Thereafter Kuntī-devī, suddenly overwhelmed and made helpless by grief, spoke to her sons in a low, trembling tone.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of war’s aftermath: even rightful victory under dharma does not erase sorrow. It highlights compassion and accountability—grief becomes the doorway through which elders (like Kuntī) guide the younger generation toward reflection and restraint.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Kuntī, overcome by sudden grief, weeps and begins to address her sons (the Pāṇḍavas) in a subdued voice, setting up her forthcoming speech in the Stree Parva’s lamentation context.