Shloka 20
Kuntī–Karṇa Saṃvāda: Lineage Disclosure and Appeal to Fraternal Dharma
आद्ानं मन्त्रसंयुक्त वसन्त्या: पितृवेश्मनि । साहमन्त:पुरे राज्ञ: कुन्तिभोजपुरस्कृता
ādānaṃ mantrasaṃyuktaṃ vasantyāḥ pitṛveśmani | sāham antaḥpure rājñaḥ kuntibhojapuraskṛtā ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。私が父の家に住んでいた折、真言に結ばれた恩寵を得た。その頃、私は献身の奉仕によって尊き仙人ドゥルヴァーサを満足させ、彼はこの恵みを授けた――真言をもって招けば、いかなる神々でも我が前に呼び寄せられる、というものだ。父クンティボージャは私を大いに敬った。だが王の内廷に住むうち、私は胸を騒がせ、真言の力とその危うさ、そしてバラモンの口から放たれる言葉の恐るべき効力について、さまざまに思い巡らした。善のために授けられた賜物であっても、その帰結を知らぬままでは不安の種ともなりうるのだ。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary powers gained through tapas, mantra, or boons demand discernment and restraint. The verse highlights ethical responsibility: even a legitimate gift can become dangerous if used without understanding its consequences, and it underscores the feared potency of a brāhmaṇa’s word.
Kuntī recounts that while living in her father’s house she served the sage Durvāsā and received a mantra-boon enabling her to summon any deity. Though honored in Kuntibhoja’s household and living in the royal inner palace, she becomes inwardly uneasy, contemplating the strength and risks of mantra-power and the efficacy of a brāhmaṇa’s speech.