Shloka 2

Devanagari script

कुतश्च॒ कवचं तस्य कुण्डले चैव सत्तम । एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं तन्मे ब्रूहि तपोधन,जनमेजयने पूछा--सज्जनशिरोमणे! कौन-सी ऐसी गोपनीय बात थी, जिसे भगवान्‌ सूर्यने कर्णपर प्रकट नहीं किया। उसके वे दोनों कुण्डल और कवच कैसे थे? तपोधन! कर्णको कुण्डल और कवच कहाँसे प्राप्त हुए थे? मैं यह सुनना चाहता हूँ, आप कृपापूर्वक मुझे बताइये

Transliteration

janamejaya uvāca | kutaś ca kavacaṃ tasya kuṇḍale caiva sattama | etad icchāmy ahaṃ śrotuṃ tan me brūhi tapodhana ||

Translation

Janamejaya said: “O best of men, from where did he obtain that armor and those earrings? I wish to hear this. Therefore, O ascetic rich in austerity, tell me.”

Word by Word

{'janamejaya uvāca''Janamejaya said', 'kutaḥ': 'from where

whence', 'ca''and', 'kavacam': 'armor

protective cuirass', 'tasya''his

of him', 'kuṇḍale''earrings (dual)', 'caiva': 'and indeed

and also', 'sattama''O best among the good/men (vocative)', 'etat': 'this (matter)', 'icchāmi': 'I desire

I wish', 'aham''I', 'śrotum': 'to hear', 'tat': 'therefore

that', 'me''to me

my', 'brūhi''tell (imperative)', 'tapodhana': 'O one whose wealth is austerity

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Janamejaya

Karna

kavaca (armor)

kuṇḍala (earrings)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic method of learning: sincere inquiry directed to a qualified ascetic-teacher. It frames Karna’s famed protections (kavaca and kuṇḍala) as morally significant objects whose origin must be understood to grasp later ethical tensions about power, vulnerability, and fate.

What is happening in the narrative?

King Janamejaya asks the sage to explain the source and nature of Karna’s extraordinary armor and earrings. This question sets up the backstory that will clarify why these objects matter in the unfolding events surrounding Karna.