Shloka 21
एतद् गुहाां महाराज सूर्यस्यासीन्न संशय: । यः सूर्यसम्भव: कर्ण: कुन्त्यां सूतकुले तथा,महाराज! निःसंदेह सूर्यका यही वह गुप्त रहस्य है कि कुन्तीके गर्भसे सूर्यद्वारा उत्पन्न कर्ण सूतकुलमें पला था
etad guhyaṃ mahārāja sūryasyāsīn na saṃśayaḥ | yaḥ sūryasambhavaḥ karṇaḥ kuntyāṃ sūtakule tathā, mahārāja! niḥsaṃdehaḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「大王よ、これこそが太陽神の秘事であり、疑いはない。クンティーを通して太陽より生まれたカルナは、しかもスータ—御者の共同体—の中で育てられたのだ。大王よ、このことに不確かさはない。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between true origin and social identity: Karṇa’s divine birth from Sūrya is a hidden truth, while his lived status is shaped by upbringing in the sūta community—raising ethical questions about judging worth by birth versus conduct and circumstance.
Vaiśaṃpāyana confirms to the king that the ‘secret of the Sun’ is Karṇa’s birth: though born to Kuntī through Sūrya, Karṇa was raised among the sūtas, and this fact is stated as certain.